The six Arsenal players out of contract in 2027 after Saka renewal with only two more to be spared | OneFootball

Arsenal have six players due to be out of contract in 2027, so they’ll soon have to decide whether to offer new deals to them or cash in while they can in the summer.

Bukayo Saka’s contract was set to expire in 2027, until the update all Arsenal fans were waiting for came and the winger signed an extension until 2031. Saka’s commitment to Arsenal for the long term leaves just six other players approaching the final year of their contract with the club, with two of those already out on loan.

If any of these players reach January without signing a new deal, they would be able to find a pre-contract agreement with a club abroad.

So, Arsenal need to firm up their plans for each player before the summer, in case they’d be better off selling some of them at the end of the season.

Here are the six Arsenal players out of contract in 2026 and what the club should do with them.

Leandro Trossard

Trossard agreed a new contract with Arsenal in the summer of 2025, but it was merely to give him a pay rise and didn’t move the expiry date of his deal past 2027, thus leaving his long-term future in doubt.

Arsenal knocked back interest from Trossard’s suitors on the back of his contract update. Since then, he has gone on to score five goals from 23 appearances, including 16 starts, in the Premier League this season.

But the fact his deal wasn’t extended in the summer might be a sign that Arsenal are preparing for his exit. Since his move from Brighton, Trossard has usually fared better as an impact substitute than a regular starter, so the time could soon come where he gets left behind.

That’s not to understate the impact he has often made from the bench, but at the age of 31, it could be time for a new challenge elsewhere.

Gabriel Jesus

Jesus made his long-awaited return from injury in December, but that was a few months after Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres to take over at centre-forward. In other words, the starting striker role wasn’t waiting for Jesus upon his comeback.

Nevertheless, he has managed to score five goals from 18 games this season, including a brace against Inter Milan on his only Champions League start.

He confirmed in a press conference before that game last month: “My wish is to stay at Arsenal. And then I have a contract as well. Obviously if you ask me, like you did already, I want to extend my contract.

“I want to stay and I want to win trophies with Arsenal because I came here with a purpose. Then that’s it. But obviously the reality is different.

“Sometimes it can go [another] way. But my focus is to stay healthy and then win trophies with Arsenal.”

With some doubts over Gyokeres, though, Arsenal may want to add another striker to compete next season, which means selling Jesus could be reasonable.

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Gabriel Martinelli

It has been a season of contrasts for Martinelli, who only has one goal from 21 games in the Premier League but an impressive six from seven in the Champions League.

As a left winger, he was already in a battle with Trossard for his place and has this season faced fresh threat from Eberechi Eze, who admittedly hasn’t quite had the impact expected since his move from Crystal Palace.

Martinelli was a shrewd signing for Arsenal when they picked him up from the lower leagues in Brazil in 2019, so he isn’t someone they would make a big loss on by releasing.

That said, he is still only 24. Given their progress in recent years, Arsenal don’t need to tear up their squad, so if they let Trossard go, Martinelli deserves a chance to stay.

A contract renewal could also serve to protect his value so Arsenal can maximise their profit if they do decide to sell the Brazilian at any point in the next few years.

Christian Norgaard

Norgaard signed a two-year deal when he joined Arsenal from Brentford in the summer, so he is now a quarter of the way through his contracted spell at the Emirates Stadium.

So far, he has only played four times in the Premier League for Arsenal, all as a substitute. However, as his 32nd birthday approaches in March, he doesn’t seem too disheartened.

Norgaard said in January: “It’s been a fantastic experience for me so far this season.

“I would have obviously loved to have played more minutes, but the minutes that I’ve had so far, I’ve really enjoyed.

“Even though I’m not playing as much, I still try to contribute with everything I can around the group.”

It seems like Norgaard knows what he signed up for and Arsenal never expected him to fulfil a role where he’d be playing in the majority of their games.

As long as the role he has taken on still suits him, Norgaard may as well stay for the second year of his contract, but no extension should be offered just yet.

Fabio Vieira

Vieira is spending the season on loan with Hamburg, who classed his arrival as something of a coup after their return to the Bundesliga.

Hamburg have an option to buy the attacking midfielder for €20m, which would make him their record signing. Recent reports have hinted they are looking to bring that price down in an effort to keep Vieira.

He told Bild earlier this month: “Staying in Hamburg is one of the options. They also have a purchase option. If the club decides to exercise it, I’ll keep enjoying being here in Hamburg and playing in the Bundesliga.

“But these are things I cannot control. We’ll see what happens in the summer.

“I still have no idea what will happen at the end of the season. My focus is on Hamburg, but in principle, I have a contract with Arsenal until 2027, and I will respect that.

“Right now, I’m in Hamburg and concentrating 100 percent on having a good season. I feel comfortable and am happy to be here.

“My responsibility is to give everything for the Raute [Hamburg].”

Realistically, Vieira has no future at Arsenal and they should sell him this summer, even if that means lowering their valuation of him.

Reiss Nelson

Nelson is enduring a loan spell with Brentford, where his progress has been hampered by a couple of setbacks, preventing him from starting a league game yet.

Brentford are believed to have an option to buy Nelson, but it remains to be seen if they’ll feel the need to use it after climbing into the top half of the Premier League without much reliance on him.

Now 26 years old, Nelson is someone Arsenal will have to dispense with if he returns at the end of his loan spell.

Yes, he once had potential, but there is no longer a role for him back in their squad.

If Arsenal could acknowledge in 2024 that former prospect Emile Smith Rowe had reached a ceiling with them, then they should be able to make that decision with Nelson, which is arguably overdue.