Despite new contracts being signed and rigorous clearouts taking place within the Arsenal squad over recent years, there remain several players who hold uncertain futures.
Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah and Mohamed Elneny see their current deals expire at the end of the season, while the likes of Bernd Leno, Granit Xhaka and Nicolas Pepe look set to evaluate their situations.
In particular, Nicolas Pepe could be one of the higher profiled exits in the summer. A lack of game time this season led the Ivorian to consider his options in January, football.london understands, but no serious interest was shown.
Since becoming the club's record signing in 2019, Pepe has struggled to match both the £72m fee and the expectations that came with it.
In 104 appearances for the Gunners, he has only managed to score 27 goals and provide 20 assists.
There is no doubting the talent and potential that Pepe has, but his biggest problem has always been the lack of consistency in his performances.
It is exactly that which has seen him drop down the pecking order behind Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli, who have all been delivering more often than not.
Starting just five times across 23 Premier League matches this season, you get the sense that this is very much the beginning of the end for Pepe at Arsenal.
Although it would be a shame to see it come to an end without any significant breakthrough, the aforementioned trio would certainly soften the blow and continue shining bright. In fact, they are helping Mikel Arteta identify Pepe's replacement.
Saka, Smith Rowe and Martinelli, who have a combined Transfermarkt value of £117.9m, make the top five for U21 players with the most goals and assists combined this Premier League season. They join Man City's Phil Foden and Crystal Palace's Michael Olise.
This should be confirmation to Arteta that he does not need to be searching for an expensive winger who demands to start every single week.
The numbers that his exciting frontline is producing show why they deserve to keep their places in the team and continue to be key members of the squad.
What Arteta needs is someone who has the talent and potential to provide them with competition on a regular basis. With Pepe turning 27 in May, he is unlikely to be happy with a rotational role at this stage of his career.
Ultimately, his replacement, should he be sold, must be someone who has the right attitude and necessary hunger to prove themselves even if they are not a regular starter.
Players like Ismaila Sarr, Yeremy Pino and young Brazilian starlet Savinho, who could follow a similar path to Gabriel Martinelli, initially come to mind.
Despite Arteta noticing a "different" side to Pepe following the Africa Cup of Nations, it would be no surprise to see the former Lille man depart in a few months' time and Edu has the Arsenal youngsters to thank when it comes to signing a new wide man.
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