In recent weeks, arsenal manager Mikel Arteta Don’t be afraid to do things in advance. Just ask Eberechi Eze.

The manager revealed he was frustrated when Eze was withdrawn at half-time in the 1-1 draw with Brentford. Understandably so.

However, the big-money summer signing responded emphaticly, scoring twice in a mesmerizing game against Tottenham just nine days ago.

The Englishman was not the only victim of early submarines. Martin Odegaard exited before the end of consecutive games against Nottingham Forest and Manchester United before re-injuring his injury.

The latest victim of the curse is Leandro Trossard. The Belgian has not played at all in recent weeks.

Arsenal left wing problem

In one game, Arteta will start Trossard. He will start the next game Gabriel Martinelli. The end result is often the same; a lackluster final product and a frustrating performance.

Still, the season isn’t completely canceled for the Belgian and Martinelli. The former scored 8 goals and sent 6 assists in the first 22 games of the 2025/26 season.

The latter, meanwhile, is currently on track to have his best season since 2022/23, scoring 11 goals. However, by 2026, they are really in trouble, especially in the league.

Trossard has failed to score in 14 games this year, while his Brazilian colleague has failed to score in nine Premier League games. He scored at least five goals in the cup, but these came against weaker teams such as Portsmouth, Kairat Almaty and Wigan Athletic.

Arsenal may well have spent a lot of effort improving their squad last summer, but there remains one glaring weakness at the Emirates Stadium, and that’s on the left wing. This isn’t a new problem either. There were warning signs last season when the pair scored ten goals each. Considering Trossard played 56 games and Martinelli 51, that’s not good enough.

So whatever happens between now and the end of the season, the Gunners will have to upgrade their left wing before heading into the summer.

Cashing in on Martinelli and/or Trossard could help fund any new signings, but who else looks in danger of leaving in a few months’ time?

Arsenal’s £34m signing looks complete

Arteta doesn’t need to weaken his team. There’s a reason it’s known as the best hotel in Europe. However, some players are paying the price for their increased positions in the team.

Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly are the standouts, but from a more advanced perspective the future looks bleak for the likes of Ben White and Gabriel Jesus. Once a vital part of Arsenal’s squad, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them leave once the transfer window opens.

There are also loaners. Jakub Kiwior is set to sign permanently with Porto in a £13m deal that was negotiated when he originally left for Portugal. Speaking of Portugal, Fabio Vieira Also should move on permanently.

It’s been a rather strange period for Vieira at Arsenal. Arteta, signed in 2022 for £34million, revealed he is “very excited” to sign the young Portuguese attacking midfielder.

Signed from Portugal’s top flight, he was tipped to become Portugal’s Bruno Fernandez, contributing six goals and 16 assists in his final season at the club.

However, his life in north London was never entirely successful. Whether he was given a fair chance to prove his ability is up for debate, but what’s not in dispute is how bad this signing was. Arteta the worst? Considering the price tag, he’s definitely there.

Although Vieira scored that lovely goal against Brentford in the Gunners’ debut season, he only started three league games that season and barely played any football.

This is the story of his time in English football. In the 2023/24 season, he only played 301 minutes in the Premier League and made two starts. It was therefore no surprise that the attacking midfielder was sent out on loan last season.

That said, the Portuguese barely enjoyed a productive season at his boyhood club when he rejoined Porto. In fact, the 25-year-old has only scored five goals in 42 games while providing six assists.

As a result, Vieira was loaned again in the 2025/26 season. He has been on loan at Hamburg in the Bundesliga this season and, to his credit, has attracted more attention.

It’s been far from a tourney for the player, who is on loan from Arsenal, but he has been involved in eight goals in 18 league games, scoring four and assisting four. He has been in particularly good form recently, scoring in back-to-back games against Mainz and Leipzig. In fact, the creative midfielder has scored three goals in his last four games, notably beating the goalkeeper against Bayern Munich a few weeks ago.

Later, he was hailed as “one of the Bundesliga season signings” Reporter Josh Buntingit would not be surprising if the German side activate their option to buy the player, which would cost around £17.5 million.

It’s not an incredible amount of money for Arsenal, but it could be a significant amount of cash for Andrea Berta. As Arsenal look to further strengthen their squad, Vieira should not be part of it. He is even more worthy of sacrifice than Trossard, Martinelli, White and others.

Not to mention he’s been average in recent years, and he’s also had to compete for playing time with the likes of Nwaneri and Max Dauman. Both should be prioritized.

Unfortunately for a £34m investment, he looks to have played his last game for Arsenal. After spells at Porto and Hamburg, any hopes of a return to the team were dashed.

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