Of all the players Arsenal let go this summer, fans would probably expect that departures for Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah would be most likely to come back to haunt them.
Smith Rowe (24) and Nketiah (25) were both still ahead of their prime years, players who have shown the ability to win Premier League games for Arsenal in the past.
Particularly in Smith Rowe’s case, there’s a sense that the attacking midfielder can still go on to play for England again one day, simply by avoiding any injuries.
And in truth, the ‘Croydon De Bruyne’ is already casting some question marks over Arsenal’s decision, a player who is now thriving at Fulham.
That being said, when 21-year-old striker Mika Biereth was sold to Sturm Graz, very few fans in N5 were complaining.
Biereth’s goal-scoring was causing a lot of attention out of loan, but there was no realistic chance that he would make it to the first team under Mikel Arteta.
Mika Biereth can’t stop scoring after finally leaving Arsenal this summer
Although, not quite making it at Arsenal certainly hasn’t deterred Biereth, who had begun permanent life in Austria in superb form.
Biereth once scored 12 goals in 26 games for Arsenal under-23s, and that was a sign of things to come.
The Denmark under-21 international has now scored seven goals in his first nine league games for Sturm Graz since his permanent move – an incredible ratio.
Of course, that tally was helped by the hat-trick Biereth scored in a 5-0 win against Red Bull Salzburg just before the international break, a historic result for the club against their affluent rivals.
Jurgen Klopp’s former assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders is now in charge of the away side, who were dismantled by Biereth on Sunday.
Nuno Tavares also taking Italy by storm after Arsenal departure
Although he hasn’t quite left Arsenal permanently, Nuno Tavares is another player who is faring very well after leaving north London.
Tavares has been Lazio’s best player this season, rating even higher than Matteo Guendouzi who has become crucial for the Italian side.
In a similar vein to Biereth, Tavares was never going to make the cut in Arsenal’s first team given all of the progress they’ve made under Arteta.
But fortunately the left-back’s attributes look very well suited to Lazio’s system and the Serie A as a whole.
Two players who Arsenal fans won’t be disappointed to lose, but two careers they will still follow with a close eye.
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