The mass exodus we all saw coming has finally happened at Arsenal
Heading into this summer, those of us who were realistic knew there would be more painful goodbyes than there would be welcoming hellos.
Arsenal have done an adequate job of signing players in key positions, but what has been the main tale of the window is how the Gunners stopped deliberating and finally bid farewell to players that simply don't cut it anymore.
From Gabriel Jesus to Fábio Vieira, Arsenal cleared out the players who would never be able to make the starting lineup. Additionally, they made the tougher decisions to sell fan favourites like Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli (pending) for the betterment of the club.
Some goodbyes are harder than others, but the fact of the matter remains the same: once a Gunner, always a Gunner. The song North London Forever is more than just a song; it's a promise to players past and present: no matter where you go, you'll always have the humble borough in North London cheering you on.
While farewell is never an easy word to say, sometimes it's a necessary one.
Arsenal are Premier League champions and, like it or lump it, the trophy can't be reclaimed in the same way it was won. Arsenal need to improve, and part of improving is letting go of what was being clung onto.
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal in 2026 is nothing like it was when he first joined in 2019. That's because he got to work almost immediately making the unpopular decisions, and he risked becoming the villain in doing so.
Arteta isn't perfect, and he hasn't got every decision right. However, nobody can deny the results. Arsenal are trending upwards as a club, and it's all down to one thing: Arteta stripping the sentimentality away from the club.
Just because you are employed by Arsenal, it doesn't mean you are owed anything. The likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Özil learned this early in Arteta's reign. Then came Aaron Ramsdale's sale, and later Emile Smith Rowe's.
These are all players that Arsenal fans held in high regard, but Arteta envisioned a better Arsenal without them. Lo and behold, he was right.
Arteta is always seeking ways to improve, and that hasn't stopped just because Arsenal won the Premier League. It was a goal of his, but it's only the start. Next on Arteta's agenda he wants Arsenal to be a superclub.
The finest example of a superclub comes in Arteta's home country, in the form of Real Madrid. The club, fearlessly led by Florentino Pérez, operates on the same cutthroat politics as Arteta: the decisions that are hardest are the decisions that must take priority.
Real Madrid values its legends, but they don't offer handouts to anyone. If removing a player from the equation elevates Real Madrid as a club, then removal is the only option.
Obviously, this summer has been bittersweet. Just because it's necessary, it doesn't make the exodus any easier to watch as a fan.
The silver lining that it is much more obvious to see than the future is the present; these players, club legends if you will, are all leaving as Premier League champions. That is the send-off they deserve.
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