This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…
According to The Telegraph, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will not sign new contracts with Arsenal if they do not qualify for the Champions League this year.
What’s the story?
The Gunners are currently four points off fourth place, which is currently held by Chelsea.
The Emirates Stadium outfit have won just two of their last eight Premier League games as the pressure cranks up on manager Unai Emery.
Arsenal fans have started to turn on Unai Emery, find out who they’d rather have in charge in the video below…
Now, there is more cause for concern. If they do not manage to finish in those top four positions, The Telegraph is saying they will struggle to hold on to their star duo.
A total rebuild
Right now, Lacazette and Aubameyang are arguably their team’s two best players.
Both are currently valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, taking their combined value to £126m and have scored 87 goals in 171 games between them since they arrived – regularly playing a key role when on the pitch.
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However, perhaps this is the perfect time for both of them to leave north London. There appear to be big issues at the club at the moment, and it seems that things have gone stale.
Rotten to the core may be slightly too strong, but it is going in that direction.
Arsenal need a big change, and quickly. Other than Nicolas Pepe, who has just arrived from Lille, no-one has as high market value as those two top forwards. Between them, they would likely command significant fees which would allow considerable investment into the playing squad.
They should lead a mass exodus that would allow for a totally fresh start at the club.
Others, like Mesut Ozil, appear to have little future either, especially given a supposed agreement between the Emery and the board over the German.
Meanwhile, the manager is said to have lost parts of the dressing room which surely makes his position untenable. Granit Xhaka’s future may also be in doubt after he was booed his own fans last weekend.
Moving a lot of these players on would add to a huge transfer kitty next summer, and would allow a potential new boss with different ideas to mould the squad the way he would like.
There are already some players who are untouched by the vitriol, such as Gabriel Martinelli, Matteo Guendouzi and Kieran Tierney. They can lead the team into the future, but they need a fresh impetus alongside them to get the ball rolling.
Yes, Lacazette and Aubameyang are top players, but their exits would make a statement and would provide the funds needed to revamp a failing squad.
It could just re-energise a team wilting away.