03/09/2026
Look, everybody is throwing their hands up in the air about Arsenal letting Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard walk out the door this summer, calling it a massive blunder by the football club. I get the emotional reactionβI really do. These two were instrumental in taking Arsenal all the way to the Champions League final against PSG last season. But the critics screaming from the rooftops aren't thinking like Mikel Arteta or the board; they're reacting like fans in the heat of the moment.
Arteta and the decision-makers don't operate on sentimentalityβthey run on cold, hard data and squad planning. Theyβve audited the output of this team, and the reality is that to stay at the elite tier, you have to continually evolve and raise the ceiling.
Take a look at the actual circumstances:
1.) The Contract Reality: Martinelli was entering the final year of his deal. In modern football, you either extend or sell. Letting a player of his calibre walk away for free next summer would be absolute management negligence..
2.) The Profile Upgrade: Trossard has been a sensational squad player, but the clock moves for everyone. His age profile is creeping up, and in Artetaβs high-intensity, vertical system, Arsenal desperately need raw, explosive pace in those wide channels to stretch elite blocks.
Did they fail to land their top-tier target before the deadline? Yes, the market was inflated, and they refused to panic-buy mid-tier options just to fill a spot. That shows discipline. The January transfer window is right around the corner, and the club will re-enter the market with funds ready for a truly transformative option.
People need to trust the process. Clearing the wage bill and liquidating assets at their peak value isn't a retreatβitβs how you build a dynasty. The squad depth is there, the tactical framework is elite, and Arsenal are poised to go all the way in both the Premier League and the Champions League this season.