Sead Kolasinac close to Schalke loan in the first of many Arsenal January exits
Last Updated: December 31, 2020 2:58 pm
Kolasinac to leave on loan
Arsenal are reportedly close to loaning Sead Kolasinac back to Schalke, bringing an end to the Bosnian international’s 3-year stint in north London.
The 27-year old has found his opportunities limited since Arsenal signed Kieran Tierney from Celtic in the summer of 2019. Kolasinac was close to leaving the Gunners on deadline day this past summer, but a move to Bayer Leverkusen fell through in the final hours of the window.
His impending Schalke switch is expected to come in the form of a loan, which could see the Bosnian join on a permanent basis in the summer. Kolasinac was included in the Bundesliga team of the season before making the move to Arsenal following the expiration of his contract. He has since gone on to make 78 Premier League appearances for the club, notching 2 goals.
Schalke want to take Sead Kolasinac on loan from Arsenal and he wants to return to his former club, according to Sky Germany 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/uSJV5Izscl
— Goal (@goal) December 30, 2020
The importance of departures
Arsenal’s outgoing business in the January window is arguably as important as any prospective purchases. Mikel Arteta’s squad is bursting at the seams, so much so that two senior players were left out of both the club’s Premier League and Europa League squads.
Neither Mesut Ozil or Sokratis Papastathopoulos were included, after Arsenal were unable to move their deadwood on during the summer. Therefore, this January, it is especially important that technical director Edu focuses on moving on the Gunners’ high-earning struggling stars, in addition to finding any gems to bring in.
There are several players set to see their current contracts expire come the end of the season, including the aforementioned Sokratis and Ozil. In addition, Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz are in line to leave for free in 2021.
STANSTED, ESSEX – JULY 11: Sead Kolasinac and Mesut Ozil of Arsenal on the plane at at Stansted Airport on July 11, 2019 in Stansted, Essex. (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
There are also players with just 18 months left on their current deals to consider. Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah, Calum Chambers, Mohamed Elneny and Kolasinac will enter the final year of their respective contracts upon the completion of the campaign.
If Arsenal manage to gain any financial capital from the departure of such players, it will be beneficial in the club’s attempts to improve their squad, whilst stripping it of any surplus talent.
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This article was edited by Conor Laird.
Arsenal betting odds, next game:
Burnley vs Arsenal odds: result, both teams to score, correct score & goalscorers
| Burnley vs Arsenal Result/Both teams score | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Burnley | 17/2 | 7/1 |
| Arsenal | 11/4 | 7/4 |
| Draw | 9/2 | 10/1 |
| Burnley vs Arsenal Goalscorers | First | Last | Anytime |
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| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | 13/8 | 13/8 | 10/11 |
| Alexandre Lacazette | 15/8 | 15/8 | 1/1 |
| Eddie Nketiah | 21/10 | 21/10 | 6/5 |
| Folarin Balogun | 11/4 | 11/4 | 8/5 |
| Nicolas Pepe | 11/4 | 11/4 | 8/5 |
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| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 14 |
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| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 9 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City FC | 9 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace FC | 9 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 9 |
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| Ings, Danny | Southampton FC | 8 |
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| Gallagher, Conor | West Bromwich Albion | 0 | 8 |
| Bellerin, Hector | Arsenal FC | 0 | 8 |
| Milivojevic, Luka | Crystal Palace FC | 1 | 7 |
| Hayden, Isaac | Newcastle United FC | 0 | 8 |
| Maguire, Harry | Manchester United FC | 0 | 7 |
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| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 0 | 5 |
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| Dallas, Stuart | Leeds United | 0 | 5 |
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| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United FC | 10 |
| Grealish, Jack | Aston Villa FC | 10 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City FC | 10 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur FC | 8 |
| Rashford, Marcus | Manchester United FC | 6 |
| Cresswell, Aaron | West Ham United FC | 6 |
| Digne, Lucas | Everton FC | 6 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City FC | 5 |
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| Robertson, Andrew | Liverpool FC | 5 |
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| Bamford, Patrick | Leeds United | 4 |
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