Arsenal were dumped out of the Europa League by Olympiakos – what does this mean for Mesut Ozil, David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi and Granit Xhaka?
Arsenal legend Perry Groves has implored the Gunners to have a clear-out of nine players this summer with Mesut Ozil, David Luiz and Granit Xhaka ripe for the chop, speaking to Jim White on talkSPORT (28 February, 11am).
The Mikel Arteta era hit its first major speed bump on Thursday night as the North London giants bowed out of the Europa League in humiliating fashion at home to Olympiakos.
And there was something oh-so typically Arsenal about the manner of their demise. Moments after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang appeared to have bailed his under-performing team-mates out yet again with a stunning volley, Olympiakos went down the other end to snatch an almost immediate winner in the final seconds of extra time.
Just to add insult to injury, Arsenal’s Gabonese talisman still found the time to channel his inner Ronny Rosenthal to miss a glaring, golden chance at the death.
Despite that most unlikely to blunders from a usually reliable goalscorer, Aubameyang is one of the few players to avoid Groves’ proposed chop.
“(Arteta) needs to get rid of players,” said a man who won the First Division title with Arsenal in 1989 and 1991. “I thought it would be about five or six, but I think you’re looking up to about nine players.
“This is not about talent. Sokratis, David Luiz, Mustafi, Ceballos is going to go anyway because he is on loan.
“Ozil, Xhaka, Chambers, Elneny and Mkhitaryan. Elneny and Mkhitaryan are out on loan anyway. He needs them now, because he has to use them now. Short-term future, they do [have one] – but no long-term future.”
As it stands, it looks all-but certain that Ceballos, Mkhitaryan and Elneny will all be departing in the summer but, with the likes of Xhaka, Ozil and Luiz picking up eye-watering wages in North London, they could be far harder to shift.
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