Arsenal legend David Seaman left "hurt" by Mikel Arteta transfer plan

Former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman is upset at the thought of the club selling some of their homegrown stars in the transfer window as Mikel Arteta reshapes his squad

David Seaman admits he's upset at the prospect of Arsenal selling academy graduates like Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe this summer.

The Gunners are expected to be ruthless in the transfer window after coming up short in the Premier League title race for a second consecutive year and a number of players are expected to be sold in order to raise additional funds.

Nketiah and Smith Rowe are two players who struggled for regular game time under Mikel Arteta last season and both have attracted interest in recent weeks. It's thought Arsenal and Arteta are open to moving both players on.

But Seaman, who made over 560 appearances for Arsenal, doesn't like the idea of selling homegrown players at a time where clubs are benefitting from offloading academy graduates due to the Premier League's current profit and sustainability rules.

“I don’t like to see young players moving clubs for profit and sustainability reasons. I don’t think Financial Fair Play is working, and it’s a negative on the game,” Seaman told Betway.

“There has been talk of Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe leaving Arsenal, and for me it hurts when homegrown players leave the club. They aren’t getting game time, so they’re going to be frustrated, and fans will be frustrated if they leave because they love singing songs for homegrown players.”

It was reported by The Sun last week that Smith Rowe, 23, could be available for just £25million this summer after falling out of favour at the Emirates.

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Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images) Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Smith Rowe was an influential figure in the 2021/22 campaign for Arsenal, plundering 11 goals in 37 appearances, but the attacking midfielder has been plagued by injuries during the past two years and struggled to force his way back into Arteta's plans.

Crystal Palace and Fulham have both been credited with an interest in the Hale End graduate, who has won three caps for England.

Nketiah, 25, is also expected to be given the green light to leave the Emirates if Arsenal receive a suitable offer for his services. The forward is believed to be valued at around £50m by the Gunners, who are expected to sign a new striker themselves. Reiss Nelson, another academy graduate, is also expected to weigh up his options after being starved of first-team opportunities last term.

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