Former Arsenal star Charlie Nicholas has stated that Mikel Arteta must get rid of Mesut Ozil, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi during the summer transfer window, in order to redevelop his defence.

Arsenal finished their Premier League campaign with a very disappointing 43 points behind champions Liverpool – ending up in eighth place. One main factor behind this terrible season was the Gunners’ defence. Arsenal conceding a disastrous 48 goals, which was the second-worst record out of all teams in the top half of the table. In addition to this, David Luiz conceded five penalties this season – a new Premier League record.

Throughout the campaign, Arteta switched between playing four and five at the back, with plenty of rotation of his defenders. Sokratis has become out of favour since the restart of the Premier League, and Mustafi has been injury-prone.

“This has been a tough test for Mikel Arteta, but I think Arsenal have realised they have got to go all out and sort the defence out,” Charlie Nicholas told Sky Sports.

Nicholas also believes that once the Gunners defence is sorted, they will start moving up the table and competing for the title. Though, in order for this to happen some of the older players need moving on so they can freshen up their decaying squad.

Despite this, Sokratis’ agent dismissed claims of the Greek leaving the Gunners and is adamant that the centre-back will stay and fight for his place.

Verdict

There is no doubt that Arsenal must sort out their defence ahead of next season, though it is a bit harsh saying that these three players specifically must leave the club.

Many Arsenal fans will disagree, but it is vital having experienced players in your squad and depth is needed to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.