With the winter window set to swing open in a few weeks’ time, transfer rumours are spreading like wildfire. There are many players linked with a move to north London, however, just who are Arsenal‘s possible January departures?
Arsenal’s Possible January Departures: A Very Mixed Bag
Aaron Ramsey
The Welshman has to be the most obvious of Arsenal’s possible January departures as his contract is set to expire in the summer. After joining the club from Cardiff City in 2008, Aaron Ramsey has made over 300 appearances across all competitions for the north Londoners.
He has also delivered two trophies to the club, scoring the winning goals in both the 2014 and 2017 FA Cup finals. However, the new hierarchy at Arsenal withdrew the offer of a new contract just weeks ago, despite the player’s willingness to sign.
He is leaving, sooner or later, the question is where will he go and when will he leave?
While he is free to sign a pre-contract starting 1 January, Arsenal may wish to sell in the coming window to recoup some of the player’s value. A plethora of top clubs are linked with Ramsey, both domestically and abroad.
Manchester United, Juventus, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Everton are all possible destinations for the player. The question is, just who would be willing to splash the cash in January?
Mesut Özil
Mesut Özil is probably the most controversial of Arsenal’s possible January departures. Arsenal nearly saw the midfielder leave the club at the end of last season before convincing the German to sign a massive £300,000 per week deal last January.
However, aside from a few brilliant performances, the player’s wages seem too large for his output. In fact, the new contract is beginning to feel like an albatross around the club’s neck.
Along with one or two other inflated contracts, Mesut Özil’s deal saps precious resources from the club at a time when money is tight. There is plenty of speculation that Özil’s contract is a major reason why the club didn’t re-sign Ramsey.
The German maestro has only contributed with one assist in all competitions this season. He’s also had fitness issues, playing just 12 of the club’s 23 matches this campaign.
Mesut Özil is also 30-years-old, meaning that his diminishing returns may diminish further. While that huge contract would prove a stumbling block for any negotiations, there are plenty of questions around Özil to warrant listening to potential offers.
Mohamed Elneny
The Egyptian seems like the forgotten man at the Emirates. Unai Emery has selected Elneny just five times in all competitions this season, with none coming in the Premier League.
Joining the club from Basel in January 2016, Elneny has never really cemented his place in the team. Even under Wenger, who sanctioned a new contract for the player in the Spring, the midfielder got relatively few minutes.
However, with the Emery era in full swing, it is clear that Elneny is very much a peripheral figure. Arsenal couldn’t expect much in the way of a fee, but moving Mohamed Elneny would free up more resources to help improve the squad.
Plus, the club is not doing the player any favours by not playing him. It is the right move for both parties to find Elneny a new home.
Carl Jenkinson
Jenkinson’s career has really stumbled in recent seasons. After breaking into the team under Wenger, the life-long Arsenal fan really turned some heads while on loan at West Ham.
However, after suffering an injury to his ACL in January 2016, the player has never been the same. Since then, he has struggled to get minutes in north London. And when he has, he’s not impressed.
The darkest days may have come last summer when he joined Birmingham City on loan. Carl Jenkinson played just 30 minutes before picking up another injury. He made just nine appearances for the Blues the entire season.
Just like with Elneny, the right move for everyone involved would be to find the player a new club.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
