Arsene Wenger targets Arsenal transfer exits as he admits the squad is too large

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James Benge6 August 2017

Arsene Wenger admits his overloaded Arsenal squad is in need of a trim as he enters the final weeks of the transfer window.

Arsenal have made several first-teamers available for transfer this summer, including Lucas Perez, Mathieu Debuchy, Carl Jenkinson, Kieran Gibbs and Joel Campbell, though a major injury means the latter is unlikely to leave.

But the only players to leave for fees of over £1million this summer are Kaylen Hinds, the young striker who joined Wolfsburg for around £2.5m, and Wojciech Szczesny, for whom Arsenal were forced to accept an initial £10.8m from Juventus as one of Europe’s top young goalkeepers had entered the final 12 months of his contract.

The failure to cut a sizeable part of the wage budget means Arsenal cannot be as assertive in the market, with their pursuit of Monaco’s Thomas Lemar having stalled in recent weeks.

When it was put to Wenger that he had 33 players in his first-team squad - though the Arsenal website puts the figure at 32 - following Sunday's Community shield penalty shootout win against Chelsea, the manager conceded there was work to be done in trimming it back.

"To be honest it is too high," Wenger said. "We will let some players go because too much competition for places is detrimental.

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"Not enough competition for places is detrimental as well. I agree that 33 [sic] is too high."

Gibbs has attracted interest from several Premier League clubs, most notably Watford.

Standard Sport revealed last week that Lucas is a target for Newcastle, Sevilla, Fenerbahce and Deportivo La Coruna as he looks to depart Arsenal less than 12 months after his arrival.

However no club has yet matched Arsenal’s £13.4m asking price for Lucas, while several suitors deem Gibbs, who is in the last 12 months of his contract, too expensive.

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