Arsenal need to be looking to moving out nine players over the summer, claims Perry Groves, with Mesut Ozil and David Luiz forming part of a mass exodus at Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have no choice at present but to work with those currently on their books as only minor tweaks were made to their ranks in January, meaning that Mikel Arteta is having to make do.
He has, however, admitted that plans are already being drawn up for the next window , with comings and goings aplenty expected in north London.
Arsenal cult hero Groves believes a clearing of the dead wood is imperative, with there too many senior stars not pulling their weight at present.
He told talkSPORT on the challenge facing Arteta: “He needs to get rid of players.
“I thought it would be five or six, but I think you’re looking up to about nine players. It is going to be impossible to get rid of them all in one go.
“This isn’t about talent, it’s not that they are not good players – David Luiz, (Shkrodan) Mustafi, Sokratis, (Dani) Ceballos is going to go anyway as he is on loan, Ozil, (Granit) Xhaka, (Calum) Chambers, (Mohamed) Elneny and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Mkhitaryan and Elneny are out on loan at this point anyway.
Getty Images“He needs them now. He has to use them now because he needs bodies. Short-term they have a future, long-term, no.
“It’s very similar to when George Graham went there in 1986 and he had a lot of players. Very talented players, but they did not have the desire that he required.
“He got rid of them and went and got players from the lower league like Alan Smith, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn.”
Arsenal no longer need to favour that approach, with the funds available to go and cherry-pick proven performers from around the world.
That approach has not always served the Gunners well in the past, with their fingers being burned on several occasions.
They do, however, need to continue rolling the dice if they are to snap out of a slump and become serious challengers for the Premier League title once again.
For now, trying to force their way back into top-four reckoning represents the height of Arsenal’s ambition , with Arteta’s side currently sat ninth in the table, seven points adrift of London rivals Chelsea and the final Champions League qualification spot.