Joe Willock and Willian look set to leave Arsenal.
The pair are both linked with moves away from the North Londoners and the fact that Mikel Arteta omitted them from his squad for Sunday’s pre-season friendly with Spurs spoke volumes.
The Arsenal boss refused to comment on speculation after the game, but there was also a transfer hint in the team he picked to start the match.
Clue
Hector Bellerin has been heavily tipped to leave the Emirates Stadium for much of the summer, amid speculation about moves to Inter Milan and Real Betis among others.
But the fact that Arteta started him against Spurs, and left out Willock and Willian, strongly indicates that there will be no exit for the Spanish right-back between now and the end of the transfer window.
This was Arsenal’s last pre-season outing before the nitty and gritty of the Premier League starts up again on Friday, with the North Londoners visiting newly-promoted Brentford.
And there’s just no way that Arteta would have started a player that he does not expect to have for the 2021-22 campaign.
Bellerin’s inclusion was a very strong hint that he won’t be going anywhere and whether Arsenal fans like it or not, that’s the case.
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