Where are they now? The 6 Arsenal players Kevin Campbell told Arteta to keep in 2019

Since taking over as manager in 2019, Mikel Arteta has transformed Arsenal from mid-table mediocrities to Premier League title challengers—but not in the way many observers expected.

Former Gunners striker Kevin Campbell told Arteta he needed 10 new signings to revitalise the Arsenal squad and told him to retain the services of six players – all of which are no longer at the Emirates.

We’ve checked in with those half-dozen men named by Campbell to see how they’ve fared in the years since.

Bernd Leno

Leno had been brought in as Petr Cech’s successor, ushering in the post-Wenger era at the Emirates when he was signed from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2018.

The German started out promisingly enough, getting the nod over Emiliano Martinez, and played over a hundred games for the Gunners before ultimately finding himself usurped by Aaron Ramsdale.

Leno has since proven himself a solid Premier League ‘keeper at Fulham, albeit never quite doing enough to make Arsenal look back with any real regrets at letting him go.

Hector Bellerin

Bellerin’s electric pace instantly caught the eye when he first started breaking through a decade ago, hinting at a potential future world-beater.

He’s still only 29, so there was some degree of logic in predicting that he’d still be a mainstay of Arsenal’s backline in 2024.

But he never really kicked on and injuries robbed him of the dynamism he had in bags as a youngster.

Bellerin terminated his contract in 2022 and is now on his second stint with Real Betis, the club he grew up supporting in Spain.

An all-round good egg, you’d be hard-pressed to find Arsenal fans that don’t wish good things for Bellerin.

Matteo Guendouzi

There’s probably a parallel universe in which the curly-haired Frenchman knuckled down and made himself a mainstay of Arsenal’s midfield.

Distinctly unimpressed with the manner in which Guendouzi found himself riled in a sh*thouse-off with Neal Maupay in a match against Brighton back in June 2020, Arteta soon binned the midfielder off.

Since then he’s not done too badly for himself, earning 12 caps for France and showing some bright sparks at Marseille.

He’s now relatively settled at Lazio. Arsenal have moved on, but Guendouzi has done alright for himself.

QUIZ: Can you name every French player to appear for Arsenal in the Premier League?

Nicolas Pepe

Arsenal have a decent track record in recent transfer windows, but there can be no denying that Pepe was an unequivocal flop in north London.

He did provide some flashes of quality and scored 27 goals for the Gunners, but his lofty £72million price tag was never justified during his time in England.

After having his Arsenal contract terminated, he spent last season with Trabzonspor and now plays in La Liga for Villarreal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Aubameyang was Arsenal’s talisman when Arteta walked through the door and it was his goalscoring form that was instrumental in their FA Cup triumph in 2020 – still the only trophy of the Arteta era.

But manager and striker rarely saw eye-to-eye and Arteta made a big call when he offloaded Aubameyang in the 2022 January window.

While the Gabon international did enjoy decent spells with Barcelona and Marseille after leaving, he never quite recaptured the form from his early years at Arsenal.

Also, the less said about his stint at Chelsea, the better.

Now aged 35, Aubameyang is currently playing in the Saudi Pro League where he’s scored 10 league goals for Al-Qadsiah as of writing.

Alexandre Lacazette

Another expensive forward signing, Lacazette looked like he was on his last legs during his final season in North London, only scoring four goals in 30 Premier League appearances.

“I want to keep all the good moments I had in the club, because for me it was just a pleasure to play for a club that, since I was young, I dreamt of,” the striker said upon leaving.

Since returning to Lyon, Lacazette has looked like a player reborn. In 102 appearances, the 33-year-old has scored 63 goals and has provided 13 assists too.

During 2024-25, he’s averaged a goal contribution every 150 minutes for Lyon which isn’t too shabby.

READ NEXT: Ranking all 31 first-team signings Mikel Arteta has made at Arsenal from worst to best

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every player to appear for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta?