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Folarin Balogun, Kieran Tierney and Granit Xhaka have been the biggest Arsenal exits this summer. But who else has departed and is also set to leave?
After what has been a rather proactive summer transfer window for Arsenal which saw Jurrien Timber, Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and David Raya walk through the door early, attention started shifting towards shifting players Mikel Arteta deemed surplus to requirements.
Arsenal have certainly tried to shift players on, but not at the same level as a club like Chelsea, who have made significant amounts of cash from the sales of key players as Todd Boelhy tries to balance the books.
As the transfer window comes to a close, Pulse Sports Kenya brings Arsenal’s sales to the spotlight as we bring to you all the first-team outgoings that Mikel Arteta’s charges have made so far this summer.
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08:00 - 31.08.2023
CAF Confederation Cup: The tactical flaw that cost Kakamega Homeboyz in 4-1 drubbing by Al Hilal
Homeboyz could not handle Al Hilal’s wing pay, which contributed enormously to their heavy 4-1 drubbing in the second leg of their debut CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round appearance.
Who have Arsenal sold so far?
Folarin Balogun (AS Monaco)
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After a stellar loan spell for Ligue 1 outfit Stade Reims last season, American center forward Folarin Balogun returned to Arsenal for preseason hoping to get a chance to impress and stake his claim in Mikel Arteta’s plans for the forthcoming season.
However, it seemed evident Arteta had no plans to integrate him in the team, as he only featured in one pre-season game during the club’s tour of the United States. Having played a minimal part, it was no surprise that Arsenal accepted a bid from Monaco worth around 38.5 million pounds on a five year contract with a hefty 20 percent sell-on clause inserted in his contract.
Kieran Tierney (Real Sociedad)
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Kieran Tierney has left Arsenal to join Real Sociedad on a season-long loan in search for first team football.
A cult hero at Arsenal, Tierney barely got a sniff last season after Arteta resorted to using inverted fullbacks following the signing of Oleksandr Zichenko from Man City last summer.
He struggled to create overloads in midfield as a natural orthodox fullback, and quickly found himself fifth choice left back following the signing of Jacub Kiwior, Jurrien Timber and the return to full fitness of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Zinchenko.
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10:00 - 20.07.2023
OPINION: Kenya must invest in youth and grassroots football to become a regular World Cup and AFCON side. This is why
If Harambee Stars is to qualify for its first ever World Cup and always go far at the AFCON, this is why it must invest in youth and grassroots football.
Nuno Tavares (Nottingham Forest)
Nuno Tavares has joined Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan after a good loan spell for Marseille last season. He seemingly is not in Mikel Arteta’s plans unless he builds on from the loan spell last season and does very well for Forest this season.
Granit Xhaka (Bayer Leverkusen)
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After an eight-year spell at Arsenal filled with highs and lows, Granit Xhaka finally departed to join Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
He enjoyed an excellent last season at the club, before leaving for Germany on a 20 million pound deal with just a year left on his contract.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Lyon)
Ainsley Maitland-Niles left on a free transfer to join Lyon after a less that convincing last two loan spells first for Jose Mourinho’s Roma and then Southampton, who were relegated back to the championship after 10 years in the topflight.
Pablo Mari (Monza)
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Pablo Mari joined Monza on a permanent basis after a fruitful loan spell at the Serie A club, having not played for Arsenal since 2021.
Who else could depart the team before the August 31 deadline?
Nicolas Pepe
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Nicolas Pepe failed to live up to his 72 million pound price tag and ultimately was sent out on loan back to Ligue 1 by way of Nice Last season, where his season ended early after suffering an injury back in January.
He was excluded from Arsenal’s preseason tour of America and was set to depart for Besiktas, but the move failed to materialize and he has now been reintegrated into the first team set up. However he could still depart before Friday’s deadline.
Cedric Soares
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Cedric Soares spent the second half of last season on loan at Fulham, and is another who has been training away from the first team set up this season.
The Portugual international wants to fight for his place in the team, but it is highly unlikely that he will play, especially on 75,000 pounds a week.
Rob Holding
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Rob Holding has been linked with loan moves to newly-promoted Luton Town, and is subject of interest from La Liga sides Marloca and Europa league champions Sevilla.
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10:00 - 31.08.2023
FOOTBALL: Harambee Stars will play 2026 World Cup qualifiers abroad after Nyayo and Kasarani fail CAF evaluation
Kenya's national football team faces overseas challenges after CAF bars two stadiums, impacting their 2026 World Cup journey.
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