Arsenal have announced the departure of Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s permanent move to AS Roma after having his contract terminated on mutual consent.
Arsenal have made an official statement to confirm that they have terminated the contract of Henrikh Mkhitaryan on mutual consent. The playmaker, who was set to return to the Emirates following a successful loan spell with AS Roma, will now head back to Rome to complete a permanent transfer.
“Micki leaves us following his season-long loan in Italy. We have agreed to terminate his contract with us by mutual consent to allow him to join Roma in a permanent move,” Arsenal published, in their official statement.
It essentially means that Mkhitaryan will join AS Roma on a free transfer, allowing the Giallorossi to save a sizable amount of transfer fee, although it remains to be seen how much wages the player demands. The length of his new contract also remains undisclosed as of now.
For Arsenal, however, the departure of the Armenian international would serve as a big relief for the club. Since joining from Manchester United, Mkhitaryan never quite got going at the Emirates, often struggling with inconsistency and form. It was the reason he was shipped to AS Roma in the first place.
Fortunately for the player, he has found his feet in Italy, it seems, having been involved in 14 goals in just 22 matches during the 2019/20 campaign.
That said, there were still doubts over his credentials in the Premier League. Besides, getting his hefty £180,000 wages off the books will now enable Arsenal to pursue other targets in the market.
The Gunners are in desperate need of a creative midfielder, in particular, especially with Matteo Guendouzi now being linked with a move to Valencia. Dani Ceballos, too, has returned to Real Madrid, following the end of his loan spell at Emirates last season, although he is touted to be back for a second temporary stint.
Mikel Arteta is still left with Granit Xhaka as the only other reliable option in the middle of the park. And it clearly doesn’t bode well for the team as they look to compete for the top four places in the upcoming season.
Moreover, Arsenal may also need to offload Mesut Ozil if they are to undergo a massive overhaul in midfield this summer. The German playmaker has been frozen out of the first-team since the resumption of the season and his £350,000-a-week salary has crippled the Gunners in the transfer market.
Unfortunately, Ozil is reluctant to leave the Emirates and it is going to be much harder for Arsenal to find a suitor who would be willing to pay his hefty wages. For now, offloading Mkhitaryan is a start.
