Mikel Arteta has issued a strong message indicating Arsenal will accelerate their efforts to offload fringe players before the summer transfer window slams shut on 1 September.
The Gunners have had a busy two months in terms of incomings, signing the likes of Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira for a combined fee north of £100million. There have also been plenty of departures, with Alexandre Lacazette, Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira among the high-profile names to leave the Emirates permanently.
However, Arteta is keen to further trim his squad down and there are a number of players who are deemed surplus to requirements at the Emirates. Among those linked with an exit over the next week and a half is Nicolas Pepe, who has underwhelmed since his club-record £72million arrival from Lille in 2019.
Arteta was quizzed on the situation surrounding the Ivory Coast winger in his press conference on Friday, ahead of the trip to Bournemouth, and chose not to go into detail. However, he made it clear he still has a "big squad" and that "anything can happen" in the remaining days of the transfer window.
"What we can communicate we always do when it's the right moment," the Arsenal manager said. "We discussed that we have a big squad and we've allowed some players to leave. Until the end of the window, anything can happen."
Two other players tipped to depart North London this summer are Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Hector Bellerin. The former has been on the Gunners' books since he was a child but has struggled to forge a role for himself under Arteta, spending the second half of last season on loan with Roma.
Would you be sad to see Nicolas Pepe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles or Hector Bellerin leave Arsenal this summer? Have your say in the comments...
Bellerin, meanwhile, joined Real Betis on a temporary basis last season and helped the Seville club win the Copa del Rey. The right-back hopes to return to Betis on a permanent basis. "Not at the moment. No update and it's like the other situations at the moment," Arteta said of Bellerin, while on Maitland-Niles he added: "We are addressing those things personally."
Arsenal have enjoyed a brilliant start to the season, defeating Crystal Palace 2-0 on the opening night and beating Leicester 4-2 last weekend. Arteta was asked whether this fine form has impacted his transfer plans and responded: "No, we are still in the same position. The market gives you a lot of information. We are focusing on the players that we have now."
