Arsenal’s Transfer Conundrum – The Deadwood need to be sold first….

Arsenal’s Transfer Conundrum by Lloyd

To many fans, it may seem pretty straightforward for the club to just go out there and splash cash on areas that need to be improved in the team. However it is not as simple as we think.

There are two factors that need to be considered that will enable us to bring in new players. First is the players that need to be sold or taken off our books, And secondly, the money we need to make from player sales, to boost our spending. Let us look at these two factors.

1. Players that need to leave

AFC has has a list of players that could leave this summer. Some of them have contracts that have come to an end, and others still have a few years left on their contracts.

Players under contract :

Bernd Leno – Goalkeeper, contract expires 2023

Alex Runarsson – Goalkeeper, contract expires 2024

Hector Bellerin – right back, contract expires 2023

Pablo Mari – Centre back, contract expires 2024

A. Maitland Niles – Midfield, contract expires 2023

Nicholas Pepe – Midfield, contract expires 2024

Lucas Torreira – Midfield, contract expires 2023

Reiss Nelson – Midfield, contract expires 2023

Players Contracts expired:

Alexander Lacazette – Striker

Contracts terminated:

Pierre Aubameyang

Sead Kolasinac

Players sold:

Konstantinos Mavropanos

Matteo Guendouzi

When we look at the list of players who are out and those who still need to leave, we can no doubt see that they have been taking a huge chunk of the wage bill. So the only option we have is to sell those players.

2. The selling of players

This is the main factor that makes the club’s transfer business so difficult. All of the players except for three on the list that need to go have contracts until 2023, bar Runarsson, Mari and Pepe 2024.

There is a new trend especially among these overpaid players and their agents to run down their contracts and leave as free agents. Greedy agents are now expecting bigger signing on fees if their clients are free agents. We have seen this greed get worse and worse. Also these overpaid culprits won’t leave because they have to settle for less salaries and this is why we are battling to get them off our books. They will rather run down their contracts than be sold. It leaves the club with no option but to loan them out.

The lack of player sales has a huge effect on our transfer business. We need to wait and see what moves these players make before we can sign on additional players. With Lacazette and Aubamayeng gone we will definitely bring in two or three players, but we will not be able to spend much because we have not had income from those departures. The power is in the greedy players and agents hands. We also have to abide by the Financial Fairplay rules, otherwise we could be banned.

As for the rest of the players on the departures list, they will be making sure that they leave their business right to the last days of the transfer window with loan deals to frustrate our transfer business. If these players are patient we will be more patient until they all gone.

So relax Gunners, it’s going to be a difficult and long wait for us while we are held at ransom. But all things come to an end good or bad.

Kind regards