Three more unpopular sales Arsenal must consider after Emile Smith Rowe, including 17-goal star

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The imminent sale of Emile Smith Rowe will be difficult for many Arsenal supporters to accept.

Emile Smith Rowe is a popular figure at Arsenal.

A product of the club’s own Hale End academy system, the midfielder holds a special place in the fans’ hearts.

However, Mikel Arteta has been ruthless and is now set to cut the 23-year-old loose. Smith Rowe is on the verge of joining Fulham, and he will be desperate to get back to playing regular football at Craven Cottage.

Meanwhile, as painful as it is, Arteta must be congratulated for making the difficult decision to cash in on Smith Rowe whilst it is still possible to fetch a decent fee for his services. 

Selling well involves a certain measure of sacrifice, after all. It may not always go down well in the stands, but making progress in the transfer market often involves offloading players that many people would rather see remain at the club. 

Smith Rowe is not the only player that Arteta ought to consider selling who would fall into such a category either.

• READ MORE: Arsenal’s most expensive transfer sales of all-time

Popular Arsenal stars who could follow Emile Smith Rowe out of the club

Gabriel Magalhaes

Gabriel Magalahes was a titanic figure at the back last season. The Brazilian impressed to such an extent that it is easy to forget that at the very start of the season he was benched amid rumours of a potential exit.

With incoming defender Riccardo Calafiori expected to challenge Gabriel for his starting berth, Arteta is already assembling a succession plan for the centre-back.

Leandro Trossard

Leandro Trossard netted 17 times for the Gunners last season, across all competitions, and was a regular starter by the end of the campaign. However, Trossard and Arteta have shared a fractious relationship at times, and there are certainly limitations in the Belgian’s game.

Arteta should consider cashing in on the 29-year-old whilst his stock is high and using the funds raised to bring in a younger, faster, more dynamic winger.

Fabio Vieira

With Smith Rowe on the way out, Fabio Vieira’s place at Arsenal ought to now be safe as the Gunners would have a real dearth of playmakers if he were to depart too. However, the Portuguese ace has failed to consistently impress since his arrival in North London in the summer of 2022.

If Vieira were to follow Smith Rowe out of the club, there would be space for a new signing in that part of the pitch, and a pathway created for Hale End wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri.