Arsenal confirm 10 departures as Premier League champions reshape their squad

Arsenal have moved swiftly to reshape their squad after winning the Premier League title, confirming 10 player departures since the summer transfer window opened on Monday — with two further exits possible in the coming weeks.

The bulk of the outgoings are free departures, with eight players leaving the Emirates when their contracts expire at the end of June: academy prospects Josh Nichols, Sam Chapman, Will Lannin-Sweet, Samuel Onyekachukwu, Alexei Rojas-Fedorushchenko, Harrison Dudziak, Seb Ferdinand and Cam’ron Ismail. Ferdinand, 20, trained with Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad this season but will now seek opportunities elsewhere.

Two of the exits will generate transfer fees. Defender Jakub Kiwior has agreed to join Porto on a permanent basis after spending the 2024-25 season on loan in Portugal, where he helped the club win the Primeira Liga. Porto will pay £14.7m, plus up to £4.3m in bonuses, on a four-year deal — a figure that broadly recoups the £20m Arsenal paid Spezia for the Polish international in January 2023. Goalkeeper Karl Hein, meanwhile, has sealed a £2.6m move to Werder Bremen, having also spent last season on loan at the German club.

Two further sales could bolster Arsenal’s summer budget. Winger Reiss Nelson returned to north London after Brentford declined to trigger a reported £15m permanent clause following his loan spell at the club, but another move away is expected. Fabio Vieira, who impressed on loan at Hamburg, saw the Bundesliga side allow a £19m purchase option to lapse — though reports suggest Hamburg remain interested and are attempting to negotiate a lower fee.

The flurry of activity underlines Arsenal’s intent to build on their title triumph rather than stand still, with Arteta expected to use the incoming funds to strengthen his first-team options as the window progresses.