Arsenal face a busy few days ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final against Mansfield Town, with reports emerging that eight players could leave in the summer transfer window
Following a midweek boost in the title race, Arsenal’s focus now shifts to the FA Cup. The 2020 champions face League One outfit Mansfield Town, who are aiming for another giant-killing after toppling Sheffield United and Burnley on their own turf.
However, back in the Prem there are eight matches of their season left, Mikel Arteta’s squad sit seven points ahead of City. Pep Guardiola’s side, however, have a game in hand and will also host Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium in April.
Regardless of what transpires between now and the season’s end, there may well be tasks for the London club to undertake in the transfer window. Here are Daily Star Sport’s latest updates from north London.
Eight potentially heading for the exit
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Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard is among eight senior players who could possibly depart this summer as the Gunners aim to balance their finances, reports The Telegraph.
The club will reportedly need to part with at least one first-team player after splashing out over £200m during the summer on the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Ebere Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, reports the Mirror.
Odegaard retains a strong standing amongst players and staff at the Emirates Stadium. Nevertheless, there are suggestions the club might not dismiss a departure given the assistance it would provide the balance sheet if the £30m acquisition was offloaded for a substantial profit.
Youngsters Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are amongst the other contenders, it has been suggested. Forwards Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard could also discover themselves at risk, with Jesus and Trossard nearing the final year of their respective deals.
The list is completed by Ben White, who has battled to secure his way back into the first team following an injury-plagued 2024/25 season.
Ethan Nwaneri ‘affected’ by Marseille struggles
Marseille’s challenging campaign persisted in midweek as they were eliminated from the Coupe de France.
Matters haven’t been proceeding entirely to plan for Arsenal loanee Nwaneri at Stade Velodrome, with the club already exiting the Champions League and severing ties with manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Nwaneri squandered the crucial penalty in a shoot-out loss to Toulouse in the quarter-finals of the cup. The match concluded 2-2 after 90 minutes, with Mason Greenwood and Igor Paixao scoring for the hosts but Yann Gboho and Charlie Cresswell each providing an equaliser.
Habib Beye, Marseille’s new manager, acknowledged the defeat had affected Nwaneri and Leonardo Balerdi most severely after both failed from the penalty spot.
Nevertheless, the Senegalese boss dismissed criticism regarding the choice to allow Nwaneri to take the fifth and decisive penalty.
“I won’t have a discussion about that. I like the personality of a player who decides to take his responsibilities,” Beye said. “We were clear in terms of the order of the penalty-takers […] these two [players who missed] who are the most affected.”