Arsenal are going through a period of revolution under Mikel Arteta.
His impact since taking over from Unai Emery has divided opinion but the general feeling is that the inexperienced manager will need time before he can be fairly judged.
At the very least he’ll need a summer window, whenever that may be amid the Covid-19 outbreak, to construct his squad, and the influence of Raul Sanllehi could be key in helping the Spaniard realise his vision.
It remains to be seen which players will be focal to the club’s progress under his tutelage, but it’s already obvious that he’d be better off without a handful of players.
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With that in mind, Sanllehi should already be laying the foundations for a handful of departures this summer to clear the wage bill and bolster the club’s position in the transfer market.
Here are four players the Gunners should offload to clear £34.84m from the club’s wage bill…
Players likely to leave
Sanllehi should have absolutely no issue with the prospect of offloading Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mohamed Elneny, who are earning £9.36m and £2.6m per year respectively.
The former is on loan at AS Roma and has impressed in the Italian capital, scoring six goals and providing three assists in 13 league appearances. While that may be impressive enough to suggest he deserves another chance in north London, the fact he is 31 years old combined with his current salary tell a different story.
Elneny, meanwhile, always looked a touch out of his depth and it was no surprise he was sent to Besiktas on loan last summer. There are plenty of superior options available to Arteta and the 27-year-old should be sent on his way when he returns.
Those who aren’t warranting their wage
This is where Sanllehi has to be at his most cut throat. Mesut Ozil is unquestionably one of the most talented players to ever grace the club, but his salary simply does not reflect his contribution.
Earning £18.2m per year, the mercurial playmaker is one of the most highly paid players in world football. His contribution, however, seldom justifies that outlay. Ozil’s agent has explicitly stated that the 31-year-old will see out his contract, but Sanllehi must change that stance.
Finally, Shkodran Mustafi, despite enjoying something of a mini revival under Arteta, should be sold to free up £4.68m.
If Arsenal manage to offload the aforementioned four players they would save a whopping £34.84m per calendar year.
Over to you, Raul.
