The wide-ranging power once held by senior players in the dressing room at Arsenal has slowly begun to evaporate. Mikel Arteta came into the club and one of his first talking points was his goal of changing the culture at the club. Years later, we have seen that come to fruition.
Toxic personalities have been sold or sent out on loan while others have not been rewarded with a new contract after sub-par performances. Alexandre Lacazette falls into the latter category. After five years with Arsenal, the French striker will leave London.
While Lacazette has certainly not been a distracting and disruptive person in the dressing room, his departure comes at the right time. Arteta understands that his showings this season haven’t been good enough and despite his positive influence on the youngsters, his downsides have far outweighed his positives.
3 senior players that should leave along with Alexandre Lacazette this summer
It is this ruthlessness shown by Arteta that will prove useful as he continues the Arsenal rebuild. To that effect, here are three senior players that should be sold in the upcoming window.
3. Bernd Leno
Bernd Leno barely featured for the Gunners last season (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
There is no doubt that Bernd Leno has been excellent for Arsenal. Since his move from Germany, he provided characteristics that the Arsenal team sorely needed. He was comfortable on the ball and possessed a world-class shot-stopping ability (his double save against Tottenham is still vivid in the memory of most fans).
He was, however, largely underrated, even by Arsenal supporters. Aaron Ramsdale’s move to the club and talent in passing caught the eye. Add to that the significant number of clean sheets in the early half of the season and praise for Ramsdale only increased.
Yet the defence in front of each keeper stands in stark contrast to each other. Whereas Ramsdale had Kieran Tierney, Gabriel, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, Leno was stuck behind the likes of Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi during his north London pomp. The German keeper would certainly be rated more highly if the back line in front of him was as formidable as the one that was protecting Ramsdale for much of last season.
While Leno’s level is high, it is quite simply not high enough. Ramsdale’s ceiling is much higher and Leno should be on his way out in the next few weeks with his contract running down.
Continued on the next slide…
Alexandre Lacazette falls into the latter category</a>. After five years with Arsenal, <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/06/07/3-senior-players-that-should-leave-arsenal-summer/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/06/03/arsenal-confirm-alexandre-lacazette-departure/">the French striker will leave London</a>.</p>
<p>While Lacazette has certainly not been a distracting and disruptive person in the dressing room, his departure comes at the right time. Arteta understands that his showings this season haven’t been good enough and despite his positive influence on the youngsters, his downsides have far outweighed his positives.</p>
<h2>3 senior players that should leave along with Alexandre Lacazette this summer</h2>
<p>It is this ruthlessness shown by Arteta that will prove useful as he continues the Arsenal rebuild. To that effect, here are three senior players that should be sold in the upcoming window.</p>
<h2>3. Bernd Leno</h2>
<div id="attachment_124582" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-124582 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/06/07/3-senior-players-that-should-leave-arsenal-summer/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1386492609.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, Leno" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1386492609.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1386492609-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Bernd Leno barely featured for the Gunners last season (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>There is no doubt that Bernd Leno has been excellent for Arsenal. Since his move from Germany, he provided characteristics that the Arsenal team sorely needed. He was comfortable on the ball and possessed a world-class shot-stopping ability (his <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/06/07/3-senior-players-that-should-leave-arsenal-summer/"https://twitter.com/NPepe19/status/1114477090500296705" target="_blank" rel="noopener">double save against Tottenham</a> is still vivid in the memory of most fans).</p>
<p>He was, however, largely underrated, even by Arsenal supporters. Aaron Ramsdale’s move to the club and talent in passing caught the eye. Add to that the significant number of clean sheets in the early half of the season and praise for Ramsdale only increased.</p>
<p>Yet the defence in front of each keeper stands in stark contrast to each other. Whereas Ramsdale had Kieran Tierney, Gabriel, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu, Leno was stuck behind the likes of Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi during his north London pomp. The German keeper would certainly be rated more highly if the back line in front of him was as formidable as the one that was protecting Ramsdale for much of last season.</p>
<p>While Leno’s level is high, it is quite simply not high enough. Ramsdale’s ceiling is much higher and Leno should be on his way out in the next few weeks with his contract running down.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/06/07/3-senior-players-that-should-leave-arsenal-summer/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 senior player that should leave </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>2. Granit Xhaka</h2>
<div id="attachment_125474" class="wp-caption aligncenter">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-125474 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/06/07/3-senior-players-that-should-leave-arsenal-summer/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1240171880.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, GX" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1240171880.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1240171880-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><div class="fs-center-img">
<p class="wp-caption-text" style="width:3200px;">Granit Xhaka’s future in north London is up in the air. (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<p>The name in this spot is sure to ruffle some feathers. Granit Xhaka has been <em>the</em> most important player in the squad since Arteta took the reins. His flexibility has proven invaluable, his performances have been remarkably consistent and his ability to stay fit and available is incredibly underrated. This is without mentioning his intangible qualities. His leadership and professionalism have been important in a club experiencing such drastic change on and off the pitch.</p>
<p>While stable, Xhaka will not take this club to the next level. The weaknesses in his game when deployed in his new box-to-box role have been well-documented as has his ability to contribute regularly in the final third.</p>
<p>To challenge for football’s highest honours, teams cannot settle for being ‘good’. They must strive to be great. Unfortunately for Xhaka, his game is too limited to continue being a starting midfielder for an Arsenal team looking to challenge for the top four and beyond.</p>
<p>Staying as a senior squad player would be ideal for the club but is unlikely to be rewarding enough for the Swiss international.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/06/07/3-senior-players-that-should-leave-arsenal-summer/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 senior player that should leave </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>1. Kieran Tierney</h2>
<div id="attachment_124564" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-124564" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2022/06/07/3-senior-players-that-should-leave-arsenal-summer/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1386492576.jpeg" alt="Arsenal, KT" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1386492576.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1386492576-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Kieran Tierney’s woeful injury record is a serious concern. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>If the presence of Xhaka on this list started some fights, Kieran Tierney’s inclusion is likely to ignite full-blown riots. The basis for Tierney’s transfer is no indication of his ability. He is a world-class left-back that would slot into any team in the top four.</p>
<p>The question is how many games does he play as that world-class left-back?</p>
<p>The Scot has suffered injury after injury at Arsenal. His layoffs have been so extensive that he has played around half of the available games since his move to London. He is not a young player growing and adapting to the rigours of top-flight football. He is a senior member of the squad and a potential captain. Yet this squad needs players that can stay fit and showcase their talent for the <em>entire</em> season.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as if Tierney’s injury struggles are going to improve. He has been at Arsenal for three years and has yet to be available for every single game (or the vast majority, at least) in a given season. Selling Tierney would be fairly straightforward. Unlike some other sales, his quality is well-known and there would no shortage of suitors for the defender. Finding an adequate replacement, however, would be difficult, to say the least.</p>
<p>If Arsenal could find a left-back (perhaps Brighton’s Marc Cucurella) that fits Arteta’s desired style and can stay fit, the club should move on from an exceptional but unlucky talent.</p>
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<p>Arsenal have put together some amazing performances this season off of their burgeoning young players. Arteta must look beyond the exuberance of these players to the senior members of his squad as he looks to find the right balance in the dressing room.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
