At a Glance:
- Arsenal must sell players to finance a big summer signing
- Julian Alvarez looks to be one of the Gunners’ top targets
- Two academy graduates might have to be sold
Football is a game of fine margins, but it has never been just about what happens on the pitch. The human side of the sport arguably matters just as much as the results, and the attachment fans form with players is essential.
Arsenal seem to be at a crossroads. With a squad largely unchanged over the past four seasons—and players that have come agonisingly close to winning the league three times in a row—this current team has endeared itself to the Gunners faithful despite a lack of trophies.
Regardless of whether this 2026 edition of Arsenal can win either, or both, of the Premier League or Champions League, some players might have to make the move away from North London if the team wants to improve in the summer.
Pure profit will be essential for the club, making academy graduates and low-cost signings prime candidates for sale. While winger Gabriel Martinelli, who arrived at the Emirates at just 18, could heartbreakingly be on his way out in the coming months, two more potential departures may leave the Arsenal faithful just as devastated.
READ MORE: 5 greatest Arsenal youngsters who slipped away – ranked
Arsenal might need to get rid of Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri to make way for Julian Alvarez
A new article published by The Telegraph analyses the financial situation regarding the potential move of Julian Alvarez from Atletico Madrid to Arsenal, and what the club might need to do to pull it off.
Eight goals and four assists in La Liga means the Argentine forward is joint top in Atletico’s G/A rankings in the domestic league, with both he and Alexander Sorloth having 12 goal contributions.
Alvarez, nicknamed La Arana, or the Spider, departed Manchester City in 2024 to go to Madrid for an initial fee of £64.4 million, which, when factoring in add-ons, could potentially rise to £81.5 million.
This is a sum that Atletico will want to make a profit on, and it is rumoured that the club would want around £86 million to let go of his services.
Thus, somewhat of a painful reality for Arsenal. The BBC’s Sami Mokbel reported earlier in April that Arsenal must make a sale to finance Alvarez’s transfer, and two home-grown players, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, might be the easiest options.
Both Hale End graduates, Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri have been tied to the club since childhood, and if either were to depart for a substantial fee, it could significantly boost the books and help fund a major incoming transfer.
Lewis-Skelly has played 69 times for the Gunners and has become an England international, while Ethan Nwaneri scored four Premier League goals last campaign and, despite setbacks this season while on loan at Marseille, is a supremely talented young prospect.
The duo are still only teenagers, and how their futures pan out is anybody’s guess. But Mikel Arteta may regret letting go of two men who are not only Arsenal players, but Arsenal fans, too.
Arsenal could look to sell other players, but for less profit
Three names stick out in terms of members of the Arsenal squad that are expendable and the club could at least fetch some cash for—Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, and the out-on-loan Jakub Kiwior.
In Kiwior’s case, Arsenal are already most likely guaranteed a sale for the Pole, given that Porto must oblige to pay Arsenal £23 million for the player permanently this upcoming summer.
While Jesus and Trossard would not attract huge clubs for large profits—they were signed initially for around £45 million and £25 million respectively—a sale for either to a big spender in Saudi Arabia, Qatar or the MLS might net Arsenal the required money to advance with a big-money summer transfer.
