Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Football London
Football London
Sport
Hal Fish

Sead Kolasinac, Lucas Torreira and forgotten players Edu can sell to launch Arsenal rebuild

As Mikel Arteta and his squad return for training ahead of next season, the usual swell of excitement is growing around any rumours of new Arsenal signings.

Nuno Tavares has now officially signed with the club, while Albert Sambi Lokonga is also expected to join the Gunners in the near future.

A whole host of other names have been linked with the club as well – from James Maddison to Ruben Neves.

With so much attention on any potential incomings, it's easy to forget about some of the players in the squad already.

With that in mind, here are five players you may have forgotten are still under contract at Arsenal.

Sead Kolasinac

Having spent the second-half of last season out on loan at Schalke, it would be easy to assume Arsenal had seen the last of Sead Kolasinac. However, the bulky Bosnian still has one year left on his deal with the club.

After a promising start to his career in north London, the 28-year-old soon fell out of favour with some unconvincing defensive displays. Nacho Monreal, Kieran Tierney, and even Ainsley Maitland-Niles have all been preferred over Kolasinac in recent seasons.

The new signing of another left back, Tavares, suggests that Arsenal will try and offload Kolasinac permanently this summer. Still, with that year left on his contract, the Bosnian may well feature for the Gunners again.

Lucas Torreira

Another player to have spent last season out on loan is Arsenal's combative midfielder Lucas Torreira.

A number of man-of-the-match displays early on in his first season with the club had Arsenal fans purring over their 'new Kante'. Sadly, poor form and a reported failure to settle to life in London quickly saw the Uruguayan fall out of favour.

Unfortunately, a season away at Atletico Madrid has done little to enhance Torriera's reputation. League starts were few and far between over in Spain, with the 25-year-old failing to force his way into a title-winning side with any sort of frequency.

It looks like Arsenal will hope to offload the Uruguayan once more this summer – either on loan or permanently – but with a contract running till 2023, he too may remain at the club longer than expected.

Reiss Nelson

While loan spells have suggested the end for the two previously mentioned Arsenal players, Reiss Nelson may well have damaged his reputation by not going out on loan last season.

Once one of the highest regarded talents within Arsenal's academy, Nelson has struggled to make much of an impact on the senior team. The impressive emergence of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli has now left Nelson some way down the pecking order.

Instead of going out on loan last season, the 21-year-old opted to stay at the club and fight for his place. This move backfired, as he featured just twice in the Premier League.

It now looks more likely that Nelson will consider a loan next season; or perhaps even a transfer away from the Gunners.

Alex Runarsson

In what may go down as one of the most fruitless transfers in Arsenal's history, Alex Runarsson signed for the club only last September. Less than one year into that four-year contract, he has already become a largely forgotten (or best-to-forget) man amongst most fans.

Initially signed to provide backup to Bernd Leno, following the sale of previous number two Emi Martinez, Runarsson delivered some alarming performances – most notably against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup – which quickly had Arteta on the lookout for another option.

Brighton's Mat Ryan was brought in on loan to provide additional cover, and although the Australian keeper will not return to Arsenal, this does not look like it will open the door again for Runarsson.

Instead Arsenal are still on the lookout for one, if not two, new goalkeeping options, with Andre Onana and Aaron Ramsdale both being considered.

Cedric Soares

Another one for the dubious transfer pile, Cedric Soares signed permanently with the club last summer.

A Portuguese international, it looked as though Cedric would provide decent backup and competition for then first choice right back Hector Bellerin.

Instead, both men have struggled for form and Callum Chambers ended the season as Arteta's preferred option for the fullback position.

Cedric was also considered to be an option at left back after signing for the club (initially on loan), but when Tierney was injured last season, Cedric was overlooked once more – this time in favour of Granit Xhaka.

Despite not being first or second choice in either right or left back, the 29-year-old may well get another shot at reclaiming his spot in the first team if Arsenal sell Bellerin this summer and fail to bring in a replacement.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.