Should we be worried that Eddie Nketiah’s move to Marseille may not go through, based on the latest reports on the French side’s transfer activities? In recent weeks, Marseille did emerge as Eddie Nketiah’s main suitors, but despite their expressed desire, they have yet to match it with a reasonable bid.
So far, Arsenal has rejected three of their proposals (the most recent of which was filed on Friday for £23 million); they just cannot satisfy the £30 million price tag imposed on the Hale End graduate. Interestingly, the French side are pushing to sign Borrussia Dortmund forward Youssoufa Moukoko on a loan with a buy option following the rejection of their bids.
🚨⚪️🔵 EXCLUSIVE: Youssoufa Moukoko has decided to join Olympique Marseille!
Despite bids from more than 5 clubs around Europe, Moukoko wants OM project; personal terms agreed.
Negotiations underway between OM and BVB on loan deal with buy option clause.
Here we go, soon ⏳🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/w0pE1lIsKx
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 3, 2024
Given that the Moukoko deal is likely to go through and Mason Greenwood has already joined, one may argue that the Ligue 1 club can afford to pass up a deal for Nketiah.
Even so, despite signing the Dortmund striker on loan, the agreement hasn’t depleted their transfer budget, and they should still try to match Arsenal’s asking price with another bid. After losing Pierre Emerick Aubameyang on a free transfer and selling Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr, it is no brainer that Roberto De Zerbi needs to strengthen his assault with quality and quantity during the summer window in order to compete with PSG; hence, there could still be room for a Nketiah swoop.
I wonder…..
Darren N
ADMIN COMMENT
So here are some simple rules which I must insist commenters follow….
You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.
CALLING ALL ARSENAL FANS! Anyone who would like to contribute an Article or Video opinion piece on JustArsenal, please contact us through this link…
I don’t think Marseille will sign Nketiah after signing Moukoko and Greenwood
There must be an EPL club that is interested in Nketiah and can afford his price tag
Gai, Do you really think a serious Epl side would sign Nkethiah for 30m, considering his limited minutes last season and goals
I am surprised that we are holding out for £30m. He’s a nice lad with the right attitude but he has had plenty of chances and never really cut it.
It’s Edu and Arteta or arsenal board’s crazy decisions. They should let Nketiah for the last offer of €27m from Marseille and to buy a new forward.
Shows you can’t please all the people all the time, the club gets criticised for selling players too cheaply and now getting criticised for trying to sell at a more realistic price!
But it’s only “a more realistic price” as you put it if another club is prepared to pay it. If the report is correct, then obviously OM didn’t consider £30m to be realistic for Eddie.
I suggest that there should be a sign in the appropriate office at The Emirates:
“Any player is only ‘worth’ what another club will pay.”
Your last statement is true at any moment in time but the ‘worth’ to any particular club may change at any time.
Difficult to insist on the 30m price tag when for the most part this player was only operating scantly as a bit part striker option – by that I mean if he ever did get on the pitch for a premiership run out it was not much more than a ten minute stint on a mostly rare occasion. For this reason his suiters would be wise to hold onto their coffers until a more sensible price is agreed. Arsenal need only factor in a sell on clause and then get on with the process, imo
Looks like they have and, if so, they’ve only themselves to blame in my opinion. I mean how daft is it to insist on £30m for a substitute striker (who clearly wasn’t considered good enough to get a regular first team spot). Add to that, there appears to be only one club interested in him – does that tell us something, I wonder?
I’m not suggesting that Arsenal accept OM’s initial offer (reported as around £17m) but if they offered £23m then that’s about as far as they were likely to go.
Arsenal now appears to be in the situation where they have a player that they need to offload with no other clubs apparently interested. What next? Eddie sits around, being paid a substantial wage, with the prospect of the whole thing being repeated next summer – except he’ll be even less an attractive transfer proposition then.
Seems Arteta and Edu can’t do right for doing wrong. They get criticised for selling too cheap and then when can’t sell for higher price get criticised for selling at that lower price. Some fans have to realise this is not FIFA on the xbox, we can’t force the buying club to pay what we want. Do we want to sell Nketia for whatever we can get or keep him.
I think that if Edu (I’m not sure how much input Arteta has in setting the fees for players) sees that there’s only one potential buyer currently for a player that Arsenal must really offload then sticking out for a fee of £30m when £23m has apparently been offered may be a little “risky” to say the least.
Given that Arsenal wanted to sell Eddie (and still do), I can’t really see how keeping him is an option. Surely, it’s better to have £23m “in the hand” rather than Eddie warming the bench for another season which will do nothing for his valuation come next summer.
Nketiah is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay.
23 million for a 1 trick poacher not a prolific scorer would be good business. Haggling over several millions may result in not selling.
Can we get your opening sentence printed up and sent to The Emirates stadium?
Frankly, I do not understand why some football fans ascribe different commercial rules to the sale of a player than they do to the sale of anything else – a house, a car, a book, whatever.
You can ask what you like for your house but if there are no buyers at that price, you ain’t moving. That may be OK, but if you really need to move (or really need to sell a particular player) you’ll have to modify your demands – particularly if it appears there’s only one person (club) interested.
Nketiah’s value is not just about what he’s done but more about what he is capable of doing. I’m convinced that the player will be a totally different animal in any team where he plays every week.
So I’m fully with Arsenal in their insistence. It has been my position that rather than sell Nketiah for pennies, we should keep him
Exactly. Arsenal is in a better position on this move. Just like ESM, we only sell on our terms or we keep them. We’re not under any pressure to sell hence we can stand our ground on this.
Thanks Corporate man. Fans who don’t understand player valuation just get up and write nonsense. This is a player who still holds the England under 21 scoring record. He just hasn’t had the chance at Arsenal. I would rather he leaves for his own career development, but Arsenal is right in their valuation of him.
Cypo, holding the U21 goalscoring record, is all fine and dandy – something he can be proud about.
But we’re talking about doing it game in and game out in the PL and the CL and he hasn’t done that.
I think if The Arsenal are holding out for the valuation they consider is correct, then they are doing the right thing.
We can’t blast them one minute for selling players off cheaply or for nothing and then moan about them sticking to their guns.
At last we’re showing some backbone and, as long as it doesn’t affect the harmony within the squad, they’ve got my backing.
Top value for me? £35million and no buy back clause!!
Nketiah not had a chance at Arsenal? Certainly you are being sarcastic.
5 years, never capitalized on the numerous chances during that time. Multiple chances during Jesus injury spells, but never impressed.
Should have been sold years ago, or allowed to leave when his contract expired.
No room for passengers anymore, he needs to move on, for the club and for himself.
Given he has reportedly agreed on personal terms, i think he’d be gone this summer. So Sad but i wish him all the best wherever he ends up.
I tell everyone who cares to listen the Edu Arteta combination shows inexperience . As amazing as Wenger was, he had David Dein to handle things properly . Edu operates like a rookie; he takes too long on deals , doesnt ensure academy talents are repped properly, etc. While Arteta has his own flaws,. One can argue that Edu has hampered Arteta from winning at least one title being short on signing adequate players when it was quite clear we needed a good squad.
I agree Ken. Eddie has been given many chances over the years to show that he can consistently provide the quality that Arsenal needs to be at the highest level but he just hasn’t quite done so. I’ve always wanted him to cross that threshold especially because he has been such a fine soldier to the cause.
There is plenty of time left in the window and there are bound to be clubs looking to pay the price for an experienced PL striker. Edu is certainly the one in position to know the market.
The benefit of showing a willingness to play hard ball if necessary may reap benefits in future sale negotiations far beyond the current window even if a sale for Eddie doesn’t go through. Patience can be a virtue and if there was ever a time to find out this may be it.