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And so we say goodbye to: Jorginho - Flamengo (end of contract) Marquinhos - Cruzeiro (permanent) Thomas Partey - released (end of contract) Nuno Tavares - Lazio (permanent) Kieran Tierney - Celtic (end of contract) Takehiro Tomiyasu – released Will we miss any of them? Only Partey was a first choice so in footballing terms the answer is no, not really. On squad depth terms Jorginho, and Tierney also could do a reliable job when needed. Tomiyasu was an exceptional defender if not so great going forward. I feel he could still become a regret if he can sort out his injury problems. Tierney was by far the most popular of our leavers, we all loved his attitude, his short sleeves, his darts down the wing to lash in a cross or even score a goal. He will never be forgotten by Arsenal fans, that’s for sure. Can he recreate his career? We all hope so. Celtic and Scotland are a superb platform to keep him in everyone’s eye. Champions League football means big teams will stay aware of him. If he stays free of injury who knows what he can achieve? Let us hope. Am I the only one who will miss Jorginho? Jorginho is a player I always liked and his stats were always excellent, coupled with being a central midfielder he rarely got booked which was unusual. He was excellent at marshalling a team, particularly when defending a lead. He was a great backup, for sure. I will miss him although I suspect some fans will say, meh! He never managed to nail down a place so will never be a fan favourite. But to me, a miss all the same. Will Zubimendi or Merino manage first choice status or do a better job than Jorginho? The jury is out. Tavares and Marquinhos did not seem to be of the standard required, particularly Marquinhos. A bad decision by Edu, possibly down to a Brazilian bias. Tavares at Lazio is still in the spotlight and is young enough to make a dramatic uptick in performances. A Gnabry? We shall see. No Party for Partey It is Partey who is the most complicated. He had what most consider his best season last time out, firefighting, winning the ball, surging forward and being undroppable. He has been plagued with court cases for several seasons now and it seems, if the allegations are true, that he never learned. One thing is certain, if he is convicted Arsenal will be excoriated for not distancing themselves from him, and taking the moral high ground. In football, you are presumed guilty until proven innocent and the constant boos he suffered from every opposing team’s fans meant that they could jump on that high ground. Is it fair? No. We have the presumption of innocence for a very good reason, to try to ensure that the innocent are protected. Kieran Tierney. easily the most popular of our leavers, short sleeves in the snow and a great attitude Make no mistake, though, if another player from an opposing team was facing the same charges , we would boo heartily. Why take a different attitude if he is your own? For certain, none of the booers know whether he is innocent or not and he is entitled to the presumption that he may be. By the same token, none of the Arsenal fans know whether he is innocent or not but they pretend to ignore something that they would heartily join in on if he was on the opposing side. Even if he is innocent Let’s take, for the sake of argument, that he is innocent. He has had to put up with a torrent of abuse everywhere he goes home and away. A football career is short and is difficult while yes, being well paid. But he then wouldn’t deserve all that abuse and an innocent man is being tormented based on the fact that he is a footballer and fans love booing a player. Football fans do it all the time. How many gay men have ever come out in football and that is legal in most countries? They know they will get booed wherever they go. Edu got Marquinhos badly wrong Ryan Giggs was never convicted of the charges against him yet I reckon he will never get a proper job in football again. Everyone makes up their mind about these things and never really change them. They convict people based on the newspapers and the media who give sensationalist accounts in a way that they would never do if it is someone close to them. The truth is, unless you are directly involved, you don't have the information to make up your mind the same as the judge and jury do. And we have to assume that if someone is not convicted, they could well be innocent and should be treated as such. Yes, people get away with things, but to counter that how many people get convicted and even executed while being innocent? Caught between Scylla and Charybdis My point is that this is not harmless banter that football fans indulge in, but a destructive tendency that destroys the lives of not just the person accused but also their families. Can Tavares be the new Gnabry? So, where now for Partey? If the case collapses will someone take him on? I suspect that maybe only Ghana might consider him. Of course, if convicted he will get a long sentence and at 32 his football career will be over. As I have said, for me, I do not know what evidence there is and I am only left with the presumption of innocence. Arteta insists that Arsenal have followed the correct procedures and yet, in football, and indeed, anyone in the public eye nearly always get taken out while allegations surface. Ryan Giggs lost his job with Wales before the case was dropped as have so many others. In theory, if a case is dropped, people should be allowed go back to their normal life but in the public eye, fed by a sensationalist media, the accused have got away with it and are entitled to receive continuing excoriation and a difficulty with finding work. Is it fair, no? And our chances of a major trophy go? And whither Arsenal now if Partey is convicted? They will be hammered for continuing to play Partey and not letting him go. Arsenal’s moral standing in the world of football will be impaired and Kroenke’s business empire may be diminished as activists try to harm their businesses. Could the scandal affect the Kroenkes? Thomas Partey may well go down as one of the most memorable figures in Arsenal’s history but it could be for infamous reasons. If convicted, there will be repercussions. Arsenal and maybe the Kroenke’s themselves will have to withstand a lot of media and fan pressure that would have been avoided if they had suspended or withdrew Partey when the allegations first surfaced. This pressure could well have an effect on the field. Maybe we would have to say goodbye (again) to our chances of a major trophy. As it is impossible to know Arsenal’s reasons in doing what we should be doing, upholding the presumption of innocence, it could lead us into a scandal that could hurt us. I can hear the fans now right at the start of games: “Same old Arsenal, always cheating”. Thomas Partey might end up as the most significant leaver we have ever had.

Should I stay or should I go now? Ramsdale, Cedric, Tierney, Partey, Smith Rowe, Jorginho, Elneny, Vieira, Jesus, Nketiah, Nelson, Tavares, Patino, Lokonga, Marquinhos. These are, to me, the most likely players to be gone next season. If you check out a previous piece here, you will see I wrote about five players left from the Wenger era first team squad of which only Nelson, Nketiah and Elneny are left. It seems like Elneny will stay and there is a logic to keeping him as he is versatile, he won’t fetch much money, and he wants to stay and help the team get better. You do need experienced veterans who have performed on the big stage and he has won trophies with Egypt and Arsenal. 10% chance of going. Elneny is Arsenal Reiss Nelson? He hasn’t started this season, came on 13 times but only has 171 minutes from those and no goals. If I was him I would want out and he would fetch something in the transfer market being young. If we need to raise money he could go. I would say 70% chance of going. If I go it will be trouble Nketiah? Not the same situation but still may be heading out the door. He has five goals from 10 starts and 24 games in total with 1046 minutes played. Again, if it was me I would go. He has to start playing regularly and it is not going to happen at Arsenal. He would fetch a sizable sum as a goalscorer, enough to help fund an expensive transfer. 60% chance of going. I do feel that the Wenger influence will definitely be weakened. Emile Smith Rowe - could still be a great Ramsdale? For sure I would go and a keeper never gets subbed so he won’t get many games. 5 starts but definitely second choice. He needs to go and he will fetch good money. 90% chance of going. Cedric? 2 games and 34 minutes. I am not sure what his logic in staying is. Won’t fetch much but seems well out of the plans. 90% chance of going. Tierney? Played 16 matches so far for Real Sociedad but was out injured. He has played excellent for Scotland and would fetch a nice sum if sold. I suspect he could go. 80% chance of going. If I stay it will be double Partey? A true enigma for us. Gets booed all the time because of dark allegations against him and seems to be forever injured. On his game he is really top quality but when does that happen anymore? 3 starts and 4 games so far means we don’t really need him. Now a veteran and I doubt if anyone would put out large money for him but probably on a big salary. Could be his last season with us. 85 % chance of going. Smith Rowe? To me a potential great but does not seem to have a strong position within the club. Would get good transfer money and for his career he probably needs to go. 10 games but only 2 starts and never a full game plus no goals. 65% chance of going. Keeping him makes sense to me Jorginho? To me he should not be on this list but it seems his contract is up for renewal and there are rumours he will not be re-signed. I would definitely keep him and play him first choice as well. Being a veteran and out of contract he won’t make us any money other than saving on salary. I hope he stays. 80% chance of going. So if you want me off your back Vieira? Probably because the team are playing so well he hasn’t had much chance but I feel he is seen as one for the future. Only 2 starts and 8 games and no full games means he is not high on the list at the moment. A loan spell may be imminent. But he is young and I think they will want to keep him. 40% chance of going. Jesus -Is he still worth big money? Jesus? The constant injuries affect his price and his necessity for the team. If we are winning without him do we need him? Still he is a huge disruption on an opposing team when on form. I am really not sure at all if he is seen as a player to keep or sell. Sure to be on big money, though and that will be a factor. If one or two new strikers come in he may go. 50% chance of going. Tavares on loan hasn’t made much impact at Forest and if Arsenal can get a price for him I reckon they will let him go. Still very young, though. 70% chance of going. Well come on and let me know Lokonga on loan at Luton has been good in some games I have seen him but doesn’t seem to be first choice. I can’t see him making it at Arsenal. 70% chance of going. Patino on loan at Swansea gets lots of games and has 4 goals and 4 assists. Still only 20 he probably shouldn’t be on this list as he is seen as one for the future. 30% chance of going. Charlie Patino - still one for the future? Marquinhos on loan at Nantes and now Fluminense in Brazil is not setting the world on fire. I think if Arsenal get an offer he will go. 90% chance of going. One day it's fine, and next it's black So there you have it, up to 15 players could be on the way out. We may, with a bad result against Porto have only 13 matches left so the chance of playing your way in is starting to look slim. Of course, if we beat Porto we may have an extra 5 matches to play giving players a chance to prove themselves but they are running out of time. This guy surely is gone? This article has surprised me because that is a lot of players that may leave. We could see a fairly big amount of new arrivals. Six on the list are UK so the club will want to keep that connection, with Brexit a problem, so I feel some of those won’t go. However, as far as I can see, all those UK players should go for the sake of their careers. I think I would. What’s the point in staying as a young player if you are only warming the bench? We may have a different Arsenal next season. Update to the Table of Doom Table of Doom Fixtures Current Max Liverpool Man City (h) Spurs (h) Villa (a) 60 96 Man City Liverpool (a) Arsenal (h) Villa (h) Spurs (h) 59 95 Arsenal Man City (a) Villa (h) Spurs (a) 58 94 Villa Spurs (a) Man City (a) Arsenal (a) Liverpool (a) 52 88 Spurs Villa (h) Man City(a) Arsenal (h) Liverpool (a) 47 86 And so no change this week. Villa are hanging in there with a nice win over Forest. And with the Spuds not playing, they are still about. Man Utd shot themselves in the foot by losing at home to Fulham giving them a maximum of 80 points and, I feel, with their tough matches coming up, have probably blown all hope of a Champions League spot, even if there are five.