Time up for ex-Manchester City duo as Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka remain Gunners crown jewels - Fans vote to 'keep or sell' from Arsenal squad
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Updated 15/07/2025 at 08:42 GMT+1
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal will be looking to discard their perennial bridesmaids tag next season after finishing second in the Premier League for the third season in a row - being pipped to the post by Liverpool last term. While Gunners fans might be frustrated by their inability to take the final, crucial step to glory, what do they think about the players in the current squad?
Arsenal keep or sell
Image credit: Getty Images
Arsenal fans are largely happy to keep hold of the majority of their squad as Mikel Arteta prepares to launch another attempt to win the Premier League title.
The Gunners have finished second a remarkable three seasons in a row, missing out on the big prize to Manchester City in 2023 and 2024, and most recently finishing behind Liverpool.
Arteta has already moved to strengthen his squad this summer with the acquisitions of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard - with more incomings expected imminently.
But what of the players already at the club? We at TNT Sports posed the simple ‘keep or sell’ question to fans for each member of the squad and, perhaps predictably, the likes of Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Declan Rice were all heavily backed to stay.
Saka and Rice each received 96% of votes to stay with Saliba, centre-back partner Gabriel, captain Martin Odegaard and breakout star Myles Lewis-Skelly all backed at 90% or above.
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Most of the squad received over 50% votes to stay, although there were six players backed by less than half of participating supporters to remain at the Emirates.
Of that sextet, three included Reiss Nelson, Albert Sambi Lokonga and Fabio Vieira, whose Arsenal careers appear to have stalled, leading to loan moves last season.
The two biggest names of this group, however, are Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The pair arrived from Manchester City in 2022 and, initially at least, were credited with having a transformative effect, propelling Arsenal from a team scrambling to qualify for Europe year-on-year, to regular title challengers.
However, Jesus and Zinchenko have struggled for form and fitness in recent years, with other players emerging to replace them in their respective centre-forward and left-back positions.
Consequently, only 35% of fans wanted to see Jesus stay, while Zinchenko only received 17% support to stay on.
Arsenal squad 'keep or sell' fan vote
| Player | % vote to keep |
| Declan Rice | 96% keep |
| Bukayo Saka | 96% keep |
| Gabriel | 91% keep |
| Martin Odegaard | 91% keep |
| William Saliba | 90% keep |
| Myles Lewis-Skelly | 90% keep |
| Ethan Nwaneri | 87% keep |
| David Raya | 86% keep |
| Mikel Merino | 85% keep |
| Jurrien Timber | 84% keep |
| Ben White | 77% keep |
| Riccardo Calafiori | 77% keep |
| Kai Havertz | 73% keep |
| Gabriel Martinelli | 69% keep |
| Leandro Trossard | 58% keep |
| Jakub Kiwior | 51% keep |
| Gabriel Jesus | 35% keep |
| Karl Hein | 29% keep |
| Reiss Nelson | 28% keep |
| Fabio Vieira | 27% keep |
| Albert Sambi Lokonga | 23% keep |
| Oleksandr Zinchenko | 17% keep |
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