Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been quite busy during the transfer window, trying to reform the first team.

Part of his reform plan included breaking free of various players such as Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi, Mezut Ozil, Sokratis Papastathopoulos, and Shkodran Mustafi to make room to bring in new reinforcements.

Unfortunately, the plan did not go as the Spaniard expected, and he only managed to free himself from Torreira and Guendouzi, who still belong to the club since they were placed on loan at Atlético de Madrid and Hertha Berlin, respectively.

This situation has left Arsenal with a larger roster than allowed for some competitions such as the Europa League. The Gunners had to present the list of players who will compete for the club in the European tournament, which will begin the group stage on October 22.

Europa League rules stipulate that clubs can only enter 17 non-homegrown players; Arsenal has 19 senior players in this category. This has caused Arteta to decide to cut two players Mezut Ozil and Sokratis Papastathopoulos. Both players are in the last 12 months of their contract with Arsenal, and do not appear to count at all in the club’s plans for any competition.

Sokratis is likely to leave the club in January when the transfer period opens again, while Ozil has stated that he does not intend to leave the club until the last day of his contract and maintains a tense relationship with the club table and apparently with the coaching staff.

This situation has intensified the Emirates’ drama due to the dismissal of more than 50 staff members, including the team mascot.