Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is the first of the Arsenal players to make a beeline for the exit door after that debacle against Liverpool, with Alexis Sanchez, Shkodran Mustafi and more tipped to leave the Emirates before the transfer window closes on Thursday night.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was expected to leave the club after the midfielder made it clear he was not going to sign a new deal with the club, and with Arsenal facing the prospect of having to let go Sanchez and Mesut Ozil also on free transfers at the end of this season, it looks like the club have decided to cash-in on the England international.
According to several reports in the UK, Arsenal and Chelsea have come to terms on a transfer fee, with the Blues willing to pay £35 million for the player, who could have moved for free in July, 2018.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has not quite fulfilled his potential at Arsenal with injuries and a lack of consistency impeding his progress. Arsene Wenger has also not quite been able to nail down a proper position for the midfielder, who sees his future in the centre of the park.
Now, it would be surprising if Oxlade-Chamberlain were to be played in the middle by Antonio Conte, with the Chelsea manager seemingly seeing the 24-year-old as a great option to play as a right wing-back.
That would mean Oxlade-Chamberlain's reasons for leaving Arsenal – said to be because he wants to play in centre midfield – doesn't quite add up, but hey, can anyone really blame any player for wanting to leave Arsenal at the moment?
The manager has clearly lost the faith of the players, and it is only a matter of time before most of the key personnel decide to leave the club, if matters continue in the same vein.
Joining Oxlade-Chamberlain, who could yet make a switch to Liverpool if the Reds make a late bid, in the exit line, could be Sanchez, who, according to The Independent journalist Shehab Khan, has put in a transfer request in order to force through a move to Manchester City.
Arsenal were quick to deny that the player had put in an official transfer request and the tweet was taken down with even the Independent denying such was the case.
However, it is clear Sanchez wants to leave, and the only question is if Manchester City will put in a big enough bid for the player.
A fee of £70 million plus Jason Denayer was mooted a day or two ago, and if such an offer has been made, it will be surprising if Arsenal do not accept it.
Watching Sanchez against Liverpool, it was clear he was a player who did not want to be there.
Another player, who did not even make it onto the pitch on Sunday, was Mustafi, with the centre-back, signed for £35 million from Valencia last summer, reportedly agreeing a move to Inter Milan.
However, Arsenal and Inter are yet to agree on a fee, with the Italian club reportedly keen on a loan deal for this season with an option to buy at the end of the campaign. Arsenal, though, want to recoup the £35 million paid to Valencia for the Germany international.
