Arsenal’s summer clear-out was always going to provoke a reaction. Letting Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli walk out of the Emirates in the same window is not the sort of business that slips under the radar in a league obsessed with depth and star power.
Trossard has gone to Besiktas for £17.1m. Jesus has taken the road to Barcelona for £8.5m. Martinelli, the most painful departure for many Arsenal supporters, has cashed in his North London years with a £60m move to Al-Hilal.
Three attackers out. Only one direct attacking signing in.
That lone arrival is Christos Tzolis, a £34m recruit from Club Brugge, asked to help fill the void on the left flank. Mikel Arteta now leans heavily on Tzolis and Eberechi Eze for width on that side, while Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokeres and Mikel Merino form the spine of his central attacking options. On paper, it looks light. On the terraces, it feels risky.
Arteta, though, is not in the mood for regret.
“No,” he said when pressed on whether he rues the thin nature of his squad. “The selling of players can come from different aspects as well. It's not always the same one. That's part of the responsibility we have at the football club.”
He pointed straight at the numbers. Minutes played. Availability. The cold side of squad-building.
“I understand the point of view, but we have to understand the amount of minutes those players played and the ones that were injured, especially in the first six months. Then the data shows something completely different, but it is what it is. This is what we have and we already have some very good players.”
The Martinelli sale cuts deepest. Seven years in North London, a fan favourite who embodied the club’s resurgence under Arteta, suddenly gone. Emotionally, it jars. From the manager’s chair, the decision is framed in terms of reliability and evolution.
Arteta referenced availability across the frontline, highlighting how Gabriel Jesus only returned in December after an 11‑month ACL layoff. While Trossard and Martinelli stayed fitter, both still missed two league games through injury in the first half of last season. Trossard logged 1,049 league minutes in that period; Martinelli just 535. Those stop-start contributions helped convince the club it was time to reshape the attack.
“With Gabi, I have gratitude. It's been a pleasure to work with him and be part of his journey,” Arteta said. “The Gabi I met and the one that just left had a huge transformation both personally and professionally.
“The impact he had for the club, his ambition, his love for the game and the way he has helped us to grow and achieve our goals, he has been a critical player. The story ends, and we wish him all the best in a different one.”
For some Arsenal fans, the story that really matters is the one Arteta told after the Champions League final. He promised the club would be “very ambitious, fast and smart” in the market. The exits have been decisive; the late incomings less so. That gap between rhetoric and reality has fuelled frustration.
So, have those boxes actually been ticked?
“100 per cent ticked,” Arteta insisted. “The outcome after can be different to what you expect, but the intention was certainly there, which is what I value the most.”
The message is clear: judge the plan over time, not the headline count of new faces.
Attention now swings to the London derby, where the depth of this remodelled squad will be tested under real heat. Arteta offered mixed news on the fitness front.
Bruno Guimaraes is a doubt after missing training, though the manager struck a cautiously upbeat note. “He had a knock against Villa and he's been assessed. He will probably be okay for training tomorrow.”
There was reassurance, too, over Mosquera, withdrawn against Aston Villa.
“It was more precaution than anything else to bring Mosquera off against Aston Villa. We will have to see how he feels in the session tomorrow. Jurrien is in really good condition. He's been on the pitch for a few weeks and training with us, so he's in a good place. We will decide tomorrow after training if he is available.”
So Arsenal head into derby week lighter in numbers, heavier in scrutiny, and utterly committed to a bold reshaping of their attack. The squad is smaller, the margins thinner, the stakes higher.
Now the question is simple: will Arteta’s faith in his leaner, retooled group withstand the first real storm of the season?
