Mikel Arteta overhaul almost complete with only two players left from Arsenal squad he inherited
Mikel Arteta's squad is worlds away from the one he took over in 2019(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Just two players from the Arsenal squad Mikel Arteta inherited now remain at the club following the 2026 summer transfer window. Arteta has overseen a stunning transformation at Arsenal since initially being appointed as head coach in December 2019, before assuming broader control as manager in 2020.
In that period, the Gunners have gone from being in danger of falling into mid-table obscurity to Premier League champions and Champions League finalists, with Arteta spearheading one of the most enviable projects in world football.
A key part of that has been the Spaniard shaping the squad to his own preferences and fine-tuning each position throughout his six-and-a-half-year tenure. Over time, the team has become unrecognisable in terms of its playing style, success and, most notably, the actual players in the squad.
Heading into this summer, only Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and Reiss Nelson remained from the struggling team Arteta was first tasked with leading. Saliba had been sent back on loan to former club Saint-Etienne in order to continue his development before Arteta's arrival, meaning that while he was an Arsenal player, he didn’t actually play under the Spaniard that season.
Saka, Nelson and Martinelli were all highly-rated prospects at the time too - but the latter two have now left the Gunners, leaving just Saka and Saliba as Arteta’s remaining original players.
Gabriel Martinelli and Reiss Nelson have left Arsenal this summer(Image: Getty )
Nelson’s contract was terminated last week by mutual consent after 18 years with the north Londoners. The 26-year-old returned to the club this summer after spending last season on loan with Brentford, though Arsenal were keen to sell him with a year left on his deal.
Both parties agreed that terminating his contract was the best option and the winger left as a free agent, meaning he now has the freedom to pick his next club. Nelson departed on good terms and is still loved by fans for coming through Hale End, as well as his last-gasp winner against Bournemouth back in 2023.
Meanwhile, Martinelli joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal following a club-record sale of £55.7m on deadline day. The forward arrived at the Emirates Stadium from fourth-tier Brazilian side Ituano back in 2019 when Unai Emery was still in charge.
Bukayo Saka and William Saliba are the only two players remaining from Arteta's original squad(Image: 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Plc)
Having shone in his first season as a striker, the youngster was moulded by Arteta into one of the league’s most dangerous wingers over the next few seasons. Martinelli’s best individual campaign came in 2022/23, when he scored 15 league goals.
Unfortunately, his form tailed off and his development appeared to regress after that, contributing to the decision to let him go this summer as part of a rebuild on the left flank. Nevertheless, Martinelli says goodbye to Arsenal with 62 goals, 36 assists and 278 appearances, having scored six goals in the Champions League last term.
Saka and Saliba, meanwhile, are two of the club’s greatest players in the modern era. Both are under contract until 2030, meaning they will likely remain integral to Arteta’s plans for the foreseeable future.
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