Every first-team player Arsenal sold or let go in 2021 – & how they’ve fared

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal rebuild has been a roller-coaster affair since his appointment in 2019, and one of his main tasks was to revamp the squad through signings and sales. A lot of senior players have moved on during his tenure, and three significant players were let go during the summer of 2021.

It was a busy summer of signings, with the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White and Martin Odegaard all joining the club, and the wage bill needed clearing as Arsenal failed to qualify for Europe for the first time in over 20 years.

Three senior players departed in the summer of 2021, but Arsenal only gained a fee for one of them. Here’s how they fared at their new clubs.

The Hale-End academy graduate had spent the previous six months on loan at Newcastle, where he was a resounding success, scoring eight goals from central midfield.

Plenty of speculation followed, and eventually, Newcastle secured their man for around £26million.

Willock had less goalscoring success for most of his first full campaign on Tyneside, but is still a popular player, and made 31 appearances in all competitions.

As Newcastle prepare to splash the cash, the 22-year-old will have a battle on his hands to keep his starting spot alongside Bruno Guimaraes and Jonjo Shelvey.

Eddie Howe turned Newcastle’s fortunes around when he arrived at the club and singled out Willock for praise after a victory over Manchester United where the midfielder was immense.

“It wasn’t a brilliant performance from us but it was a wholehearted effort, commitment and a lot of hard work. It was epitomised by Joe Willock’s performance really, I thought he was immense physically,” Howe stated in March.

“That was highlighted by the tackle in the last few seconds of the game. He’s come