Mikel Alterta is not afraid to be ruthless at Arsenal. (Image: Getty Images)
After three years of failure, Arsenal appear ready to prove their detractors wrong and finally achieve their title ambitions. The Gunners, who have been top of the Premier League since the start of October, are also in a strong position in the Champions League and continue their campaigns in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, the latter of which they will face Manchester City in the final this month.
Mikel Arteta’s road to success has been long and difficult. He invested heavily over the summer to restructure the squad and said goodbye to a number of first-team players. The Spaniard is not shy about making bold decisions, just think of his ruthless removal of Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in his early days at the Emirates.
Admittedly, his decision to sanction the departures of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jorginho, Thomas Partey and Kieran Tierney was less controversial but equally important to taking Arsenal to the next level.
According to Transfermarkt, the quartet were worth £55m before leaving, but given that the latter three left as free agents and the Gunners had only set aside £1.3m for the Ukraine international, there was little income to be gained from their departure.
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Zinchenko was sent on loan to Nottingham Forest last summer, but was sidelined for nearly two months due to injury, making just five league appearances for the Premier League club.
His loan contract was officially terminated in January, allowing him to permanently transfer to Ajax. He made just two appearances for the Dutch club, suffering a serious knee problem that ended his season prematurely.
Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kieran Tierney have been released by Arsenal. (Image: Getty Images)
After two campaigns in north London, Jorginho moved to Brazilian side Flamengo as a free agent and has been an almost constant presence for his new employers. He has already won four trophies since his arrival, winning the FIFA Challenger Cup, FIFA America Derby, Copa Libertadores and Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A crown.
Thomas Partey similarly left after talks over new terms failed to reach an agreement, giving the Ghanaian international the opportunity to return to Spain with Villarreal.
Injury concerns have resurfaced this season for the midfielder, who has struggled with fitness issues throughout his Premier League campaign, missing nine games across all competitions.
Partey, 32, last appeared in a La Liga game in November and has played just 94 minutes in the league since then.
Kieran Tierney, the longest-serving member of the quartet, has ended his six-year spell in London for good by returning to his boyhood club Celtic.
The left-back played in 28 of 29 league games, scoring five goals and providing seven assists in his first season back at Parkhead.
There is no doubt that this quartet will be loyal servants to the Gunners, but one cannot question Arteta’s decision given that the players currently in that position are Riccardo Calafioli, Martin Zvimendi, Mikel Merino and Miles Lewis-Skelly.
