Club captain Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky all look set to leave Arsenal.
The three midfielders are unlikely to be offered new contracts when their current deals expire at the end of the season, and the Evening Standard believe the Gunners are willing to move the trio on.
Arteta will be 34 by the time his contract expires, and despite captaining the club, the majority of his appearances seem to be from the bench. He’s only started two games this season, however, his experience and leadership is valued in the Arsenal dressing room.
Flamini, 32, also appears primarily from the bench, and both are now considered a back up to Francis Coquelin, who has firmly cemented his place in the Arsenal first-team. It’s extremely unlikely either Arteta or Flamini will be able to dislodge the starting two centre midfielders, Coquelin and Santi Cazorla, and with better, younger players ahead of them in the pecking order, it’s unlikely they’ll force their way back into manager Arsene Wenger’s first-team plans.
The same can be said for Rosicky, 35, who looked set to leave last summer before the club offered him a one-year extension to his current deal. The Czech international has since missed the entire season due to a knee injury, and Wenger expects him to be out until after Christmas.
The boss is reportedly worried that Rosicky’s history of injuries will hinder him from performing consistently at the highest level, and although he proves his quality when playing, it’s unlikely we’ll see him feature regularly for the club.
Wenger has never been in favour of keeping players for too long when they’re the wrong side of 30, and providing he can find replacements for the three midfielders, it’s unlikely they’ll be at the Emirates next season.
