Arsenal may be forced to sell 8 players in harsh financial reality check

• Premier League
• Arsenal FC

Arsenal may be forced to sell key players this summer after spending £268million, with eight first-team stars potentially available as the Gunners face financial pressures.

Arsenal may have to sanction a series of sales in the summer(Image: Rico Brouwer/Soccrates)

Arsenal may need to offload at least one first-team player in the summer transfer window after splashing out in an attempt to finally bring their over 20-year wait for a Premier League title to an end.

The Gunners have significantly supported Mikel Arteta in the market in recent seasons, having re-established themselves as title contenders under the Spaniard's leadership. However, their expenditure in previous windows now implies that key first-team players may need to be let go at the conclusion of the current season.

According to The Telegraph, Arsenal's total spending on transfer fees for the last financial year, which amounted to £268 million ($357.5M), necessitates sales - and tough choices.

Martin Odegaard, the Arsenal captain, is one player that the club might contemplate selling as they consider which players could attract profitable offers, it's suggested.

The Norway international will have two years left on his contract at the end of the season and, therefore, holds value in the transfer market. The report indicates that, after five years at the club, selling Odegaard for a substantial transfer fee would represent a significant profit under the current Premier League and Uefa spending regulations.

Two other players identified as 'strong candidates to leave' are Gabriel Martinelli - who joined the Gunners for a mere £7M ($9.34M) back in 2019 and thus also has a low book value - and Ben White, who was signed for £50M ($66.7M) from Brighton two years later.

(Image: Rob Newell - CameraSport via Getty Images)

Other clubs have previously offloaded academy graduates to keep their finances in check. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are two talents currently outside Arteta's squad who could be let go.

Kai Havertz, similar to Odegaard, has another two years left on his contract and would likely fetch a hefty sum. Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus will both be entering the final year of their contracts at season's end and may be listed for sale if the club opts not to renew their deals.

After significant expenditure last summer, including £67.5M ($90M) on Eberechi Eze and an additional £63.7m on Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal are running short of time to generate funds from player sales after posting a net loss on player transfers the previous year.

The club is already committed to a further £45M ($60M) outlay to convert Piero Hincapie's loan move from Bayer Leverkusen into a permanent deal, with more arrivals likely regardless of whether Arsenal clinch the title or not.