With the coronavirus pandemic halting football in its tracks, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta face a summer of uncertainty.
All matches have been suspended indefinitely and this could impact the start of the transfer window, a period where the Gunners will be hoping to complete the deals that help Arteta achieve success in his first full season in charge.
If the Government give the green light for matches to get back underway, the Gunners still have much to play for, with an outside shot at the top four and a FA quarter-final against Sheffield United to negotiate.
The future is certainly brighter than it has been for a while, but there are still major areas in need of improvement, including central midfield and centre-back.
There is no doubt that several players are likely to be sold in the summer, with some not part of Arteta’s plans or already out on loan.
Shkodran Mustafi was close to leaving the club in January, but the Arsenal boss decided to keep the World Cup winner until the end of the campaign.
The decision has paid off, with Mustafi much improved in the heart of defence alongside David Luiz on occasions before Pablo Mari was brought into the side and impressed in his two starts against Portsmouth and West Ham.
But there has been interest in Mustafi from Italy and Turkey, and it would not be a surprise if he is sold, especially given Mari could be signed permanently from Flamengo, and William Saliba is returning from his loan spell at Saint-Etienne.
The 27-year-old German could command a fee of around £13.5million, according to his valuation on TransferMarkt, which would be added to any funds given to Arteta in the summer.
Fellow centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos is also a potential candidate to be moved on, given his age. The Greece international turns 32 in June, and if his valuation of £16.2million were to be met, a bid is unlikely to be rejected by the Arsenal hierarchy.
Elsewhere, Sead Kolasinac enjoyed a brief renaissance under Arteta, but with his injury problems and high wages taken in consideration, plus the options of Kieran Tierney and emergence of Bukayo Saka, a sale would not be a surprise in the slightest.
Mohamed Elneny and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are both currently on loan at Besiktas and Roma respectively, and look certain to be moved on if buyers can be found.
Indeed, Roma want to turn Mkhitaryan’s loan deal into a permanent one, head coach Paulo Fonseca has confirmed.
A deal taking the former Manchester United playmaker to the Stadio Olimpico could see the Gunners pocket a fee in the region of £10million. That was the figure which Forza Roma reported was rejected during the January transfer window.
The big conundrum for Arsenal lies with the future of captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The striker’s contract expires in the summer of 2021, but Head of Football Raul Sanllehi has previously warned that key players will not be allowed to leave the club for free.
