Arsenal technical director Edu says the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil were "killing" the club before they managed to offload their big-money contracts.
The duo are among a number of players to be shown the exit door at the Emirates in recent years as manager Mikel Arteta looks to reshape his playing squad.
The Gunners have targeted much younger players in that time with players in the older age bracket - such as Aubameyang and Ozil - ushered out.
Edu, who also agreed deals for Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac and Sokratis to leave, has explained the thinking behind the new philosophy.
“When a player is 26 or older, has a big salary and is not performing, he’s killing you," he said.
"In the past, 80 per cent of the squad had those characteristics and there was no chance anyone would buy them.”
He added: “They don’t have a transfer value and are comfortable on a long contract living in London. So we needed to clean the squad and if we had to pay some to go, I considered it an investment.
“It’s better than having them blocking the path of another player. It’s not a problem if a player has a big salary and performs.
“I know it’s strange to go to the board and tell them, ‘Sometimes it’s better to pay a player to leave than to keep them’.
“I realise that hurts and some people say that it’s expensive - but you have to take the problem out."
