David Ospina
After a flurry of activities in the summer transfer window, Unai Emery is ready to sanction the sale of up to five players as the club hierarchy look to free up cash for other incoming arrivals.
We are still being linked to the signing of Steven N’Zonzi from Sevilla and it is an open secret that the North Londoners need to prune down on their squad.
The Telegraph report that Lucas Perez, David Ospina, Carl Jenkinson, Joel Campbell, Chuba Akpom and Danny Welbeck have all been made available for transfer as the club have too many players in their positions.
Welbeck was in the England squad for the World Cup but barely featured and, given that the club are looking at signing another right winger, which could be Cristian Pavon, nobody could blame Welbeck if he opted to leave in search of regular first team football.
Welbeck can also play up front but, with the prolific pair of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette in the squad, that is arguably our strongest position.
Ospina is expected to leave the club; the Colombia is too good a shot-stopper to be third choice goalkeeper but, with Bernd Leno coming in and Petr Cech likely to stay, that is what he would be if he did stay.
Lucas Perez is back after a loan spell in Spain, where he was part of a Deportivo La Coruna side that were relegated from La Liga. The Galicia international has never truly impressed for us and given that he’s 29 now, he is unlikely to improve drastically and could be better off leaving.
The same could be said of 26-year-old Joel Campbell, who is a long way behind others in the hierarchy after an injury-hit loan spell with Real Betis.
Carl Jenkinson, too, has struggled with injury while on loan at Birmingham and needs a move to re-build his career, as does forward Chuba Akpom, who has not quite hit the heights we once hoped he might.
A big factor in our decline in recent years has been an overly egalitarian wage structure and loyalty to players who are not of the required standard.
While from a human perspective it is sad that these players have not met their targets here, it is important that the club makes ruthless decisions in order to move forward.
Am pleading with the board also to the manager and the coaches that Chuba Akpom should be giving chance to prove himself.
It a player who have create future for this club
I will also pleading with the Board and the new Manager to give Chuba Akpom one more season to prove himself I believe he will surely improve himself this season don’t throw him away just like that. Our new Manager and the rest of the Coaching Staff’s know they must deliver within two seasons that’s is the standing order from the Board so you can blame them for any action they decided to take because all of them are on Probation for just two seasons to prove themselves. We the Fans also love the Idea of the Board. I believe we shall be there this time with this new Manager and his Coaching Staffs.