• Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah almost out of contract
  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang frozen out after misdemeanours

Mikel Arteta knows time is ticking on Arsenal’s efforts to resolve the futures of their senior strikers, several of whom enter the second half of the season with their next career moves in serious doubt.

Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are out of contract at the end of the campaign, with little headway having been made in keeping them on. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, usually the first-choice centre-forward, is currently frozen out after a string of misdemeanours that lost him the captaincy, and the promising Folarin Balogun is likely to see his suitability for senior football assessed in a loan move. It leaves the in-form Gabriel Martinelli, contracted until at least 2024, as the only striker whose prospects appear secure.

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