Big-name Arsenal stars warned they will be sold this summer in Mikel Arteta squad overhaul

Ethan Nwaneri and Martin Odegaard are facing uncertain futures at Arsenal – big-name players will be moved on this summer.

That’s the view of both ex-Gunners star Perry Groves and YouTuber James Bayliss, who believe chances could be limited for a number of stars next season.

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Game time has been limited for plenty of attacking midfielders so far this term due to Arsenal’s incredible squad depth.

Eberechi Eze, who signed last year from Crystal Palace in a deal rising to £67.5million, has been restricted to just 13 Premier League starts.

He has even been an unused substitute in four matches and has played the full 90 minutes just twice in the top-flight.

As for skipper Odegaard, while he has had three separate injuries this term, he has been named in Mikel Arteta‘s starting line-up 13 times from his 20 league outings.

The Norway international has also struggled for form – scoring just once from 26 games in all competitions – leading to calls for him to be dropped.

And one player that failed to make any impact this campaign was Nwaneri, whose nine goals last season earned him a new five-year contract.

But having mustered just six league outings – all from the bench – the decision was made to ship him off on loan to Marseille to continue his first-team development.

His chances could be even more scarce upon his Arsenal return, with Hale End graduate Max Dowman primed to be given opportunities to shine after making his debut aged 15 in August.

Meanwhile, Arteta has opted to utilise natural right winger Bukayo Saka in the No.10 role in the club’s last two matches.

This has allowed Saka to feature alongside England teammate Noni Madueke, who has slotted in on the right flank.

Gunner go?

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Speaking on Inside Gooners, Bayliss discussed the new partnership between Saka and Madueke, and whether that could lead to reduced chances for some of the club’s other stars.

He said: “Does it make you wonder about the future? Because we’ve got Nwaneri, Odegaard, Dowman…

“They all play in the areas that Saka and Madueke have been playing, all slightly different.

“But essentially, they want to be in either that right pocket, or right touchline.

“I wonder if it [FA Cup win over Wigan] was a little glimpse of the future, a little bit of, ‘How do you get them all into one team?’

“Well, because the likes of Saka and Nwaneri can be played centrally, Dowman looks like an unbelievable talent, even at 15/16, the way he can beat players.

“We know Madueke is incredibly explosive, very clever footballer on the ball.

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“I just wonder whether that’s the way you fit them all in in the future.”

For Groves, who won two league titles during his six-year spell at Highbury, he believes that tough decisions will be made the club in the summer.

And this will see fan favourites offloaded with players to not be in Arteta’s long-term plans.

He remarked: “The thing is though, you won’t have to fit them all in.

“Because there will be a few that will be gone at the end of the season.

“The squad is that strong, and there will be new faces that come in, so there will be a few that will be surplus to requirements.”

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Groves continued: “They all want to go and play.

“Like you mentioned, Nwaneri, if you’re talking about the inside where he wants to play…

“You’ve got Eze, Odegaard, then Max Dowman who is unbelievable, trust me.

“So then Nwaneri quite rightly will be thinking, ‘I want to go and play.'”

It took just 13 minutes for Nwaneri to show what Arsenal are missing after scoring a beauty on his Marseille debut last month.

And it remains to be seen whether the 18-year-old – the Premier League’s youngest ever player – remains in Arteta’s thinking beyond the summer.