Mikel Arteta has proven he is not afraid to simply get rid of Arsenal players he has deemed surplus to requirements and could soon do so again this summer.
The Gunners enjoyed a productive window just under 12 months ago when they welcomed the arrivals of players such as Benjamin White, Martin Odegaard, Aaron Ramsdale and Takehiro Tomiyasu - all of whom who have drastically improved the Arsenal first-team.
This time around it could be a window that sees more departures than arrivals, with a few notable players seeing their loan spells elsewhere expire while their Arsenal futures remain up in the air. The likes of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have already been cut loose by Arteta - there are three standout figures who could meet the same fate.
William Saliba
Whatever happens from this point onwards, Saliba's move to Arsenal will go down as one of the more bizarre transfers in recent memory purely for the fact he has not made a competitive appearance for the club during his first three years as a Gunner.
Touted as one of the most promising central defenders on the continent, Saliba has enjoyed loan spells at Sain-Etienne, OGC Nice and most recently Marseille since becoming an Arsenal player. This is rumoured to have actually led to some ill-feeling from the France international towards the Gunners hierarchy.
“It [being dropped into the academy] was shocking at first," the centre-back told Pro-Direct Soccer France. "You say to yourself, ‘a £30million transfer all that, people were waiting for you to come’ and then you find yourself in the reserves against players your age. It shocked me at first, I didn’t even want to play. When they buy you for £30million and drop you in the reserves, it hurts."
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There has been plenty of speculation claiming that Saliba actually has his heart set on remaining in the south of France and has spoken about his pride in securing Champions League football for the Ligue 1 side.
However, Arteta's most recent comments on the situation suggest that Saliba is still highly thought of in North London. Speaking to RMC Sport, the Arsenal boss said: "He has to come back. He has the experience and the necessary environment to be competitive with us.
"If he had stayed with us this year, with one Premier League game a week and with Ben White and Gabriel, he wouldn’t have had half the game time he had with Marseille, that’s for sure."
Matteo Guendouzi
Few players have seemingly caused the kind of stir Guendouzi did while in the Arsenal dressing room. The young Frenchman's attitude problems are well-documented and have been for quite some time.
Rumours of rifts while at Lorient prior to the move to the Emirates lingered, but the Gunners faithful have since seen just how temperamental Guendouzi can be since he joined in the summer of 2018. The midfielder was allegedly given a stern talking to from club officials during a mid-season trip to Dubai during Arteta's debut campaign at the helm.
Early on into 'Project Restart', Guendouzi antagonised plenty of the Brighton players during a 2-1 defeat at the Amex before losing his cool himself and throttling Neal Maupay after the full-time whistle. It is thought that his conduct on that afternoon was the final straw in the eyes of his manager.
A loan spell at Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin for the majority of the 2020/21 season followed, before a season-long loan at Marseille the very next campaign. It has been a productive one for Guendouzi, where he has cemented his status as a firm fan favourite and adored by boss Jorge Sampaoli.
In October of 2021, Arteta said a decision would be made on the 23-year-old's future come the end of the season but it appears obvious to all parties Guendouzi will remain at Marseille having burned his Arsenal bridges a long time ago.
Lucas Torreira
Torreira's Arsenal career actually started off particularly impressively. Signed by Unai Emery, the Uruguayan international brought a welcome kind of aggression to the Gunners midfield.
His goal to cap off a memorable 4-2 derby win over rivals Spurs will live long in the memory of the Arsenal fanbase, but with little room for sentiment Torreira has been cast aside under Arteta.
The midfielder spent last term on loan with Fiorentina - a welcome return to Serie A, the league Arsenal enticed him away from when he was a Sampdoria player.
“My intention is to stay at Fiorentina. But it will be necessary for the club to find an agreement with Arsenal," he told Fan Page. "I’m perfectly fine in Florence. In am fine in Italy. It was a very positive year, even if we failed to qualify for Europa League."
Torreira has recently seen his Arsenal squad number handed to Gabriel Martinelli - the clearest indicator yet that he will not be returning to the club. The midfielder commented on Martinelli's Instagram page to say: "What number will I wear next year? Good luck amigo @gabriel.martinelli I love you."
