Pundits, fans and players alike have waxed lyrical over the depth of Arsenal‘s squad this season. It’s not just the best in the Premier League but it’s arguably the best in Europe.
On that evidence, it is hardly a surprise that Mikel Arteta‘s men are still fighting on all four fronts, aiming to win the quadruple for the first time in their history.
The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League, in the last 16 of the Champions League, in the final of the Carabao Cup and in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. It’s been a remarkable campaign so far.
However, what injuries have proven this term is that the squad could still be improved. Indeed, as the summer window fast approaches, Arteta and Co need to tell a number of their fringe players to seek a new club.
Chief among them is Gabriel Jesus who looks a shadow of his former self.
Why Arsenal need to sell Gabriel Jesus
When Arsenal signed Jesus from Manchester City in a deal worth £45m back in July 2022, the Brazilian looked like the best thing since sliced bread.
He arrived with a point to prove to Pep Guardiola that he could be the leading man in a title-chasing team. For a while, it looked as though he would be capable of doing that.
Arsenal’s number 9 started his debut campaign at the Emirates Stadium like a house on fire, scoring five goals and registering three assists in his first eight Premier League matches.
However, his first season in north London was hampered by injury. He missed much of the middle part of the campaign with a knee problem sustained at the World Cup. Subsequently, Jesus did not score a goal between 9th October and 1st April. He did return with a bang, though, netting six goals in Arsenal’s final ten league matches during 2022/23.
Unfortunately, knee problems have been rather commonplace during Jesus’ time in the English capital. Competition from Kai Havertz meant he started just 17 times in the league during 2023/24, scoring four top-flight goals.
Then, in 2024/25, came that horrific ACL injury. The Brazil international missed the majority of 2025 and since his return, he has not been the same. Arguably, he has not been the same since his first year in Arsenal colours.
Jesus returned impressively by scoring against Aston Villa and bagging twice versus Inter Milan in the San Siro but he has now scored only four goals in his last 13 matches and is failing to start regularly.
Indeed, the attacker has been an unused substitute in each of the last three Premier League games. Still, that was not the nadir of his campaign, his start against Mansfield Town on Sunday was.
Jesus was handed the captain’s armband but did not do that role justice, struggling to make much of an impact at all. He had three shots but just one of them was on target. He also only won one of his five ground duels and completed 67% of his passes. Considering he was up against League One opposition, it was not a good performance.
It would not be a surprise if that was his last start for the Gunners, with the need to cash in on him becoming more and more apparent as the weeks go by.
However, the striker is not the only Arsenal forward who should be shown the exit door in the summer.
Arsenal’s new Zinchenko must be sold
While Arsenal’s defence has proven to be one of the best units on the continent in recent years, their attack still leaves something to be desired. That’s even if they did become just the third team in Europe’s top leagues to reach 100 goals for the season on Saturday, only pipped to the post by Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Andrea Berta’s efforts to improve the forward line last summer have clearly paid dividends with Viktor Gyokeres, Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze all arriving. The latter duo scored against Mansfield at the weekend.
However, there is a sense that this area of the pitch could be bolstered further, notably on the left-hand side of the attack.
Like Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli struggled on the left against Mansfield, losing six of his eight duels. His rival for a place in that position, Leandro Trossard, is hardly faring much better.
In fact, the Belgian has been even worse in 2026. Truth be told, this has been a perplexing campaign for Trossard who at one stage looked like one of the best wide forwards in English football.
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He started 2025/26 in brilliant style, scoring eight times and registering six assists in his first 22 matches. However, this calendar year has been more of a struggle. The £27m signing from Brighton has not found the net in 15 straight games.
While he hobbled off with an injury in the first half of the clash with Mansfield, his 38-minute showing was hardly an impressive one, even if he was playing out of position in a central area.
During his time on the pitch, the 31-year-old did create a big chance but his one and only goalscoring opportunity was ballooned horribly off target after he was found in a strong position to the right-hand side of the penalty area. That moment rather summed up what this season has become for Trossard: one of frustration.
While the winger is certainly not at a point in his career where he needs to hang up his boots, he is now an ageing player and he’s certainly past his best. There’s no shame in that but Arteta has proven to be ruthless in the past with similar characters.
|
Trossard Arsenal career |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Season |
Games |
Goals & assists |
|
2022/23 |
22 |
11 |
|
2023/24 |
46 |
19 |
|
2024/25 |
56 |
19 |
|
2025/26 |
38 |
14 |
Just ask Oleksandr Zinchenko. Once an important part of this team, perhaps even one of the most important players full stop, he helped transform the way Arsenal played thanks to his ability to invert from full-back.
However, a mixture of shoddy form and injuries ensured that his future in north London looked pretty non-existent and he eventually departed in January. That’s the direction Trossard is heading in now.
He’s had some incredible moments in an Arsenal shirt, he is their clutch player. However, his run of goalless games and a series of niggling injuries at various stages this term suggest his time at the Emirates could be coming to an end.
Last summer, the Gunners made the surprise decision to hand the Belgium international a pay rise and while that decision was vindicated at the start of the season, it’s now time to cut ties with their new Zinchenko-esque figure.
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