Premier League Rumors: Arsenal To Revamp Defending Core, Major Overhaul Looms

Arsenal FC head coach Mikel Arteta may soon be revamping his team, and new names are being mentioned as the likely players leaving.

Arsenal has not had a good season and is now finding itself trying to catch up in the Premier League standings. The club is eight points behind Chelsea on the table and their chances of advancing in the Champions League or Europa League. The Gunners do still have time, but it appears even that will not change Arteta's plans of revamping the team by next season.

Several names are already out in the open. The player most likely to be headed out is Matteo Guendouzi. Though Arteta has challenged the French football player to align with the club's drive, the 21-year-old tops the list of players likely leaving this summer.

Other names that are now being mentioned include Lucas Torreira and Sead Kolasinac.

The Gunners do not have the flexibility heading into the next transfer window. They are most likely to make the most out of loans and free transfers due to the limited budget the club has.

Aside from the names already mentioned, Henrikh Mkhitaryan will reportedly be exiting and going to Roma. As for Mesut Ozil, he is believed to be on his way out too, although his hefty wage may turn potential suitors off.

Hence, Guendouzi, Torreira and Kolasinac headline the list of players that Arsenal will be selling. Kolasinac has been inconsistent since arriving in 2017 from Schalke. He has started in 15 of Arsenal's 32 Premier League games this season, The Times reported. He is one of the defenders that Arteta has been using, but he has been faring miserably.

The Gunners' defense is something that needs an upgrade. Some experts believe that this is something that needs to be addressed. Arsenal legend Charlie Nicolas believes Arteta does not have enough center-backs, pointing out how Shkodran Mustafi and David Luiz are just not good enough, Sky Sports reported.

"There is nothing to say that it will take years. The board and owners do not have years as the crowd will turn on them if they do not identify that the defense is everything. It is the area that matters right now. If they do not address it they will get further and further away from it. This is a must. Whoever you must sell, the funds must go on defenders, and you start building again," Nicholas said.

Another former Arsenal player, David Bentley, shares Nicholas' opinion. He previously said that he feels half of the team needs to go.

"I don’t know what the thinking is at boardroom level because Arsenal needs to ship out half the team and get a good core in. That’s difficult but can be done," Bentley said.