If the season is over, to whom does Arsenal say goodbye?

I’m not necessarily a doom and gloom kind of guy, however, this whole coronavirus thing has me very concerned on a lot of levels. First and foremost, my concern is the health of family, friends, community, and the world at large. One can only hope and pray medical science and technology will rise to the occasion and find a vaccine as soon as possible.

On the sports side of my life, I currently have a very large void to fill. Though my wife is happy I an spending less time watching sports on TV, I miss the highlights, the action, the players, and the thrill of it all. But more than anything, I miss watching Arsenal.

So, if the Premier League owners decide to make this season null and void, who do we say goodbye to this summer as Arsenal players?

Here are my best guesses on who could go this summer. There are a few that are tough to include…

1) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Without Champions League football our leading goal scorer will probably want out. If that happens, the Gunners can use his transfer fee to acquire additional players. This would be a huge void to fill.

2) Alexandre Lacazette – Again, Champions League football is something the Frenchman wants. With our rising crop of forwards in the fold, Laca could be expendable. Again, Arsenal could collect a nice transfer fee to bolster the summer transfer prospects.

3) Mesut Ozil – Even though Mikel Arteta has brought the German playmaker back to life, I’m not sure the front office wants to continue to pay his extremely high wages. With his best days are behind him, so I think he will definitely be gone.

4) Matteo Guendouzi – Matteo went from first to worst among my favorite Arsenal players. The young Frenchman might have hit the point of no return with Mikel Arteta after their bust up in Dubai. His playing time has been greatly diminished since then. I don’t see him staying, period.

5) Ainsley Maitland-Niles – He seems to be in the Arteta doghouse as well. Arteta has been quoted as saying AMN needs to develop a better work ethic and mental attitude if he wants to play for the Gunners. See ya AMN.

6) Henrikh Mkhitaryan – He is currently on loan at Roma, but could come back to Arsenal as a back-up player. In my opinion, his Arsenal future depends on what happens to Auba or Laca. On the other hand, maybe Arsenal can squeeze some cash from the Italian side for Miki’s full time services. I say 50/50 if he stays or goes.

7) Sead Kolasinac – Though currently injured, Kolasinac had a hot and cold season. He could stay as a utility player. Another 50/50 for me.

8) Sokratis Papstathopoulos, Rob Holding, David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi – This is the big one for me. Two, or maybe three of these guys will not be with Arsenal next season. But, who stays and who goes? Sokratis has proven to be a better utility man than Mustafi, however, Mustafi’s stock has risen recently under Mikel Arteta’s tutorship. Luiz has also shown some recent improvement in the center of the defensive back line after a string of some really poor performances. Rob Holding has a lot of potential but seems to be either slow recovering from injury or there is something else going on we don’t know about. Either way, he hardly ever plays. It’s a real toss up among these four, however, we know the Gunners brass will be looking big time in the transfer market to strengthen the back wall. Many names are already being floated out there, plus, William Saliba is coming off loan, too, and, don’t forget Calum Chamber will be healthy at some point next season. My best guess, Luiz and Mustafi stay, while Sokratis and Holding go.

The other players we need to get signed ASAP…
Bukayo Saka, Pablo Mari, Dani Ceballos

Thoughts? Would love to hear what you Gooners are thinking!

Stay healthy! Gunners1953