At a Glance:
- Arsenal may be set to enact a squad overhaul this summer.
- Andrea Berta is reportedly willing to sell a player who has hardly played for the Gunners.
- This could make room for a big new signing.
Arsenal are reportedly open to selling a player they signed less than 12 months ago in the upcoming summer transfer window, as Andrea Berta prepares an overhaul of Mikel Arteta’s squad.
The Gunners are on the brink of winning the Premier League title, while they’re also preparing for the Champions League final in Budapest at the end of the month. Despite being on the precipice of a hugely successful and historic season, the North London club are eager to make huge changes to Arteta’s ensemble over the next few months.
A left-winger, a right-back, a central midfielder and possibly a striker are all on the agenda for Berta, although the Italian must sanction some high profile sales to make room for all these potential incomings.
Arsenal ‘open to selling’ Christian Norgaard this summer
Arsenal signed Christian Norgaard for just £13 million last summer, to provide new acquisition Martin Zubimendi with cover and competition. However, the Dane has rarely been trusted by Arteta, with the Spaniard handing him just 19 appearances across all competitions, and just 61 minutes in the league.
With the Gunners looking to bolster their midfield cohort over the summer, someone will have to make way, and Norgaard seems to be the obvious candidate. According to Gary Jacob of Times Sport, Arsenal are indeed ‘open to selling’ the 32-year-old in the upcoming transfer window.
🚨 Arsenal are open to selling Christian Norgaard, who has only played 56 league minutes since his move from Brentford last summer. 🇩🇰 [@garyjacob] pic.twitter.com/H9P4oqJq9w
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) May 14, 2026
While it’s understood that Arteta values Norgaard’s personality and leadership quality, he clearly doesn’t feel what the midfielder offers on the pitch is good enough to give him regular minutes.
The Denmark international has previously stated that he’d be open to returning to his home nation before retiring, with former club Brondby mooted as a possible destination for him. Given he’s entering the latter stages of his career and Arsenal’s need for ‘win-now’ type players could be about to diminish, it makes sense for the two parties to part ways this summer.
Norgaard announced his retirement from international football this week, potentially signalling that he’s starting to map out his future as his career winds down.
Who could replace Christian Norgaard at Arsenal?
Arsenal will need to adequately replace Norgaard if he is to leave in the summer. While Arteta will have Declan Rice, Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze at his disposal, he’ll arguably need one more to compete on all four fronts next term.
Zubimendi has been played into the ground, and his form has subsequently suffered in the back half of the season. Ensuring Arsenal have a player who can rotate in and out of the side with the Spaniard next campaign should be a priority for Berta over the summer.
| Statistical Comparison 2024/25 (All Competitions) | ||
| Stat | Jorginho | Norgaard |
| Appearances | 15 | 34 |
| Pass Accuracy | 86.7% | 81.6% |
| Progressive Passes per 90 | 6.15 | 4.92 |
| Key Passes per 90 | 0.38 | 0.58 |
| Progressive Carries per 90 | 1.16 | 0.45 |
| Tackles per 90 | 1.54 | 2.52 |
| Interceptions per 90 | 0.9 | 1.57 |
Myles Lewis-Skelly’s emergence as a midfielder in recent matches makes him a genuine option. Arsenal could save a fortune on signing a Norgaard replacement by merely promoting the Hale End graduate into this role full-time.
The Gunners have also been linked with Mateus Fernandes over the last 24 hours, and the Brazilian certainly makes for an interesting target. Elsewhere, Sandro Tonali has been mooted as an option, while the likes of Elliott Anderson, Bruno Guimaraes and Eduardo Camavinga have been loosely linked with a switch to the Emirates.
