Arsenal Need To Sell a Superstar: Four Players To Consider—Ranked

The Gunners could require a big sale to help balance the books this summer.

Arsenal may be forced into a shock sale or two this summer. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Arsenal may be forced to embark on a ruthless summer in the wake of a potentially historic campaign, with the Gunners still on for an unprecedented quadruple.

The spending that has helped facilitate their success under Mikel Arteta could lead to some financial trouble, with reports suggesting that a big sale or two may be necessary to help balance the books and ensure Arsenal comply with both UEFA and Premier League financial rules.

Arteta undoubtedly has his ’untouchables’, with Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Gabriel and Declan Rice among those regarded as cornerstones in north London. However, the Gunners also have high-value assets that could be sold, to not merely ease the financial burden, but also ensure the club can build on whatever they achieve down the stretch in 2025–26.

Here are four big-name players Arsenal could consider selling this summer, ranked by a combination of likelihood and the sense of each departure.

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4. Kai Havertz

Have Havertz’s injuries spooked the Gunners? | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Arsenal paid big money for Kai Havertz in 2023, and, according to Capology, the German remains the club’s highest-paid player.

Initially brought in to replace Granit Xhaka in midfield, Havertz has since emerged as Arsenal’s leading man up top. Arteta loves his physicality, unrelenting energy out of possession and duel-winning abilities. He pops up with a big goal or two as well.

Despite the purchase of Viktor Gyökeres last summer, Havertz is far better suited to the center forward role in Arteta’s framework, but his 2025–26 campaign has been compromised by injuries.

While adored by the manager, there’s a chance that his fitness woes could spook the Gunners into a surprise sale. Havertz missed several months earlier this season because of a knee injury and has recently been set back by a muscular problem, which he‘s since returned from.

The role he plays during the run-in could help shape his future, with the club unlikely to give up on Gyökeres after just a season.

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3. Myles Lewis-Skelly

The ’pure profit’ may be tempting. | David Price/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

The importance of ’pure profit’ can’t be overlooked in shaping transfer strategy, and Arsenal may resort to the sale of an academy starlet to escape any financial difficulties.

They’ve used this playbook before, with the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun departing the club for a combined $129 million.

The Gunners have a pair of potential stars in their ranks, with Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly enjoying breakout campaigns in 2024–25. However, neither have been particularly involved this season, with the former currently on loan at Marseille and the latter struggling for starts outside of the domestic cup competitions.

Given another major sale Arsenal could make, retaining Nwaneri makes sense. However, the Gunners have two senior left backs competing for minutes over Lewis-Skelly, and Arteta seemingly doesn’t trust the midfielder in his natural position.

Despite the promise displayed last season, selling Lewis-Skelly could make sense. There’s no doubt that he’ll have plenty of suitors, both in England and abroad, and Arsenal should feel confident about securing a big fee.

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2. Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli hasn’t developed into a superstar. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

If there’s a position Arsenal will be intent on upgrading this summer, it surely has to be the left wing. Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard have once again operated as the two leading options, but both have underwhelmed.

Martinelli has delivered in the cups, but the Brazilian hasn’t developed to the extent that many supporters hoped he would after an excellent 2022–23 campaign—a season that’s already looked back upon with a hint of nostalgia despite Arsenal’s continued excellence with Arteta at the helm.

The head-down Martinelli undoubtedly has his uses, but the lack of improvement means it might be time for the Gunners to move on. Saudi Pro League clubs have previously been linked with a lucrative deal, and Martinelli, given that he’s just 24, should be able to command a big enough fee that it renders his sale sensible.

The Gunners could target a readymade star as his replacement, with Trossard on the chopping block, too.

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1. Martin Ødegaard

Arsenal’s club captain is at risk. | Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images

There was once a time when you couldn’t imagine Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal without Martin Ødegaard.

The skipper, who emerged as one of the Premier League’s best after back-to-back supreme seasons for a title-contending Gunners outfit, has seen his influence wane in north London over the past couple of years.

Arsenal had to get used to performing without Ødegaard last season, and there’s no doubt that his injury woes contributed to their evolution into a grittier outfit even more reliant upon physicality and set-piece domination.

There’s a sense that this Arsenal team has evolved beyond its captain, who lacks power in transition and drifts more in games than he ever used to do.

Selling him, no matter the price, would’ve been regarded as blasphemous not so long ago, but more supporters have come around to the idea, especially with Nwaneri and Max Dowman attempting to burst through.

Ødegaard would undoubtedly thrive at one of the possession-oriented behemoths on the continent, but Arsenal have every right to demand a big fee, which may limit their ability to sell to a non-Premier League rival.

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