Four Arsenal stars may never play for club again as Mikel Arteta makes stance clear

Arsenal’s January transfer window might be dominated by talk of whether Mikel Arteta will finally land a world class goalscorer, but exits are also going to be high on the agenda. The Gunners made it through to the League Cup semi-finals on Wednesday with a 3-2 win over Crystal Palace, despite fielding a much-changed starting XI.

And in all likelihood, it was the last time fans would have seen Kieran Tierney in red, having been given a rare chance to start at left-back following his loan spell at Real Sociedad.

The Scot was forced off 69 minutes in with apparent cramp, and has reportedly been told by the club his contract won’t be extended beyond next summer.

That could accelerate the prospect of a return to Celtic, who are being linked with making an offer to aid their own domestic title challenge. Tierney, 27, has never made any secret of his desire to return to Glasgow, and has maintained contact with manager Brendan Rodgers.

But there are three other current Arsenal players who could be joining him in having already made their last club appearance. Another left-back in Nuno Tavares is also out of contract in June, but is currently on loan at Lazio and is set to keep playing in Italy until the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

And a deal has already been reportedly struck that will see the 24-year-old sign for Lazio on a permanent basis once his temporary spell ends. Arsenal are said to have negotiated a future sell-on clause of 25 per cent, with the Portuguese player set to be handed a contract until 2029.

The situation isn’t so straightforward with midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga. The Belgian is currently also out on loan, playing in La Liga with Sevilla, following short-term spells at Crystal Palace and Luton Town.

His contract with Arsenal does not expire until 2026, meaning the club are in a position to command a fee if deemed surplus to requirements by Arteta. Having struggled for regular game time in Spain, a permanent deal with the La Liga outfit looks unlikely but it's rather clear his future lies away from the Emirates.

Brazilian winger Marquinhos is back in his homeland with Fluminese, but will return to north London in January. Given his deal runs until June 2027, and with little prospect of forcing his way into the fold under Arteta, a sale next month would suit all parties.

Since signing in 2022, he’s made just six appearances for the Premier League side, and has spent the last two campaigns on loan at Norwich City and Nantes. At 21, he is likely to attract interested parties keen to utilise his long-term potential.

Arteta has previously shown his ruthless side at Arsenal, prepared to let high-profile names leave as well as fringe players. His latest stance on Tierney underlines that, with the boss needing to free up space in his squad if he his to target new signings in the next two windows.