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Scott Trotter

Arsenal news: The 'underachieving' Gunner who must be sold as star is coy over transfer links

We're nearly two days removed from Arsenal's dreadful defeat to Leicester City and the result has done nothing to calm the worries of how far Arsenal still need to go.

The Gunners are competing for the top four and in the Europa League semi-finals  so could still end up with a successful season but the 26 points Unai Emery's side lie behind league-leaders Manchester City.

So while there are just two Premier League matches remaining this season one eye is already on the transfer window.

We've gathered together reaction from the past weekend and a look to the future for you to take a look at below:

Arsenal clear-out

Our Arsenal reporter Layth Yousif has named eight players that Unai Emery should part ways with this summer.

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"His performances at the start of the season were a great improvement on the previous couple of seasons. However the 22-year-old is another who has failed to perform consistently nor influence the course of matches sufficiently enough to be able to claim permanent progress has been made.

"On his first team debut, in a 3-0 loss at Sheffield Wednesday in October 2015, he was raw but bursting with potential. He was extremely impressive in Arsenal's 3-1 defeat to Barcelona in the Nou Camp in March of that season.

"He followed up that excellent performance by scoring at Goodison Park three days later in a 2-0 victory and by then it looked as though the club had a player with bags of promise.

Leicester City's Youri Telemans against Arsenal. ((Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images))

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"Yet, his progress stalled over the next two seasons. Whether he suffered from being indulged by the previous managerial incumbent, knowing that despite a lull in performance levels his place in the side was safe, or whether it was simply a case of a young player experiencing a dip after an exuberant start to his career is hard to tell.

"But the fact is the player who has been in the first team for three full seasons is still massively underachieving. If Arsenal are to have serious designs on challenging for silverware next season Iwobi has, sadly, shown he is not the answer for Arsenal and must, with regret be sold."

TAKE A LOOK AT WHO ELSE LAYTH SUGGESTED HERE

Matthijs De Lift latest

The centre-back was discussing how much he would cost in comparison to current Ajax team-mate Frenkie de Jong, who has already agreed a €75m move to Barcelona this summer.

"Will I be more expensive than Frenkie? I don’t think so, no,” De Light said. "Normally teams spend more money on midfield players than defenders. I really don’t know. It’s up to Ajax - it’s not something that I decide. We shall see.

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"I haven’t made a decision (on my future) yet, so I don’t know. I am only focused on the last games of the season for now. We still have a lot to play for so let’s finish this season in a good way.”

Probably too much for the Gunners budget unless they can garner some significant funds in the transfer market.

James Maddison on Ainsley Maitland-Niles

It was the key moment of the match as Ainsley Maitland-Niles saw red in Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat against Leicester City yesterday (Sunday).

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The Arsenal man was sent off with the score at 0-0 for a second bookable offence, after challenging James Maddison on the halfway line, following a loose touch.

But while some pundits have criticised the Leicester City man for his reaction to the challenge amid accusations that he got Maitland-Niles sent off, Maddison has said he felt the right decision was made by referee Michael Oliver.

“He [Maitland-Niles] has obviously dived in on the halfway line, and I managed to send Vards [Jamie Vardy] away,” he said, speaking to BBC programme Match of the Day 2.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles and James Maddison after Arsenal's red card. ((Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images))

“If I have to jump out of the way, I don’t think you can tackle like that to be honest, so I think it was right to show the yellow card.”

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