Arsenal to step up player clear-out after Mikel Arteta warning over ‘unsustainable’ squad issue
rsenal are set to step up their clear-out of unwanted players after Mikel Arteta warned the size of their squad is “unsustainable”.
Arteta wants to streamline his 30-man first-team squad and expects the Gunners to accelerate attempts to offload players.
Nicolas Pepe, Folarin Balogun, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Auston Trusty, Cedric Soares, Rob Holding, Nuno Tavares and Alex Runarsson could all be sold.
Speaking after Arsenal rounded off their pre-season tour of the US with a 5-3 win over Barcelona in Los Angeles, Arteta said: “We have 30 players here which is unsustainable.
“Obviously the market is still open, and things can happen – but we are prepared. We are really happy with the squad we have at the moment, we obviously have improvements to make in terms of what we want to do in games, and we have to do that. Overall, I’m really pleased with the team.”
Balogun was left out of the squad against Barcelona, amid growing uncertainty over his future.
Addressing Balogun’s absence, Arteta said: “He wasn’t available – he had a little foot injury, and he hasn’t been training with us, and he wasn’t available to us, that was the reason.”
Pressed on whether Balogun has a role at Arsenal, Arteta said: “We will have to see. First of all, he has to be fit and available to play minutes.”
