Lacazette? By Dan Smith
Do you remember when we were promised after Ramsey that no player would be allowed to run down their contract?
Well this summer Lacazette becomes the latest Gunner to only have 12 months left on his deal, reducing his value.
The only difference is; this isn’t a case of Arsenal forcing a talent to stay as it seems both parties have accepted an amicable split.
The 29-year-old will be aware of the wages Aubameyang and William are on, but doesn’t start enough to warrant the club paying over the odds for another over 30-year-old.
As any buyer won’t have to pay a huge fee, the Frenchmen probably can get him himself a salary increase elsewhere. It’s generally accepted that before their transfer ban he was joining Atletico Madrid, a club who are not put off by age.
Your opinion on this might be based on your faith in the club to replace Laca with someone better.
I would like to keep him as the one thing he guarantees is he works hard, something that not even Aubameyang can say.
It’s funny how the press get leaked information to encourage gooners to follow the club’s narrative. Buzz words are used like, Arteta ‘rebuilding’ or ‘His own players’.
It’s to make you think slashing the wage bill is a good thing. To stop you questioning why a Billionaire ‘s response to the worst Arsenal squad in decades is to cut costs?
Edu’s criteria won’t be to find someone better then Laca, it will be find someone on less than his 180-000 pound a week and for less than the sum we recoup him for.
If you think I’m being harsh answer me this?
Who replaced Ramsey? A loan signing on less wages.
Who replaced Ozil? A loan signing on less wages.
We saved millions by releasing or loaning out Ozil, Sokratis, Mustafi, Kolasinac, Maitland Niles and Willock. Many believed those savings (only two will be employees come the summer) meant we had made savings to invest in the squad.
Those supporters told themselves the same thing when a Cazorla, Welbeck and Wilshere were made free agents. Every year the wage bill gets smaller while the team get worse.
Yet another player is about to leave with the priority being slashing our wage bill.
And some fans think it’s a good thing.
I’d laugh if it wasn’t so sad….
Be Kind In The Comments
Dan Smith
According to spotrac.com, the wage bill has generally increased year-on-year except for 2018/9 which was a crazy outlier. This despite not getting Champions League football. This notion that any savings made by the club filter directly into the owners’ pockets is a boring conspiracy now.
If clubs’ balances have sufficiently recovered from the Covid era, we will likely be able to make a bit of money this summer. If not, and Laca doesn’t sign, he will go for cheap. I wouldn’t put him in the same category as Musti, Sokratis et al whose transfer fees and salaries did not match their abilities. If the article’s concerns manifest, it will be a result of poor fortune not poor financial management.
Personally, I hope he’ll sign a new deal for closer to £120k and become more of a squad player/mentor.
Sean M, to compare Arsenal’s wage bill to other clubs both above Arsenal and below in the EPL table, all one has to do is use Google.
The number of players on wages of £100k and plus a week is mind blowing. Talk about mid table performance on Champions League wages.
But Dan I think you IG ore the fact that the likes of Cazorla Ramsey,Wilshere, Welbeck were not even earning close yo the dross we let go this season yet they were better than the dross we let go.
Santi Cazorla was earning 90k.
Ramsey & Lacazette on 115k
Kolasinac was on 145k
Mhki was on 135
Clearly you know how much Ozil was earning.
My point is am I glad Arteta and the club let these poor players go? Yes!! Yes I am!! I don’t care if it’s saving money or not, but when these players weren’t even performing better than the likes of Cazorla and Co then I’m we cut them off.
Right now the only issue is Auba’s wage.
Willian isn’t earning more than 120k as his salary. The price only goes up when you add his bonus and signing fee.
Knowing he’s been pretty useless all season, I don’t think he’s earned any bonus or reason to be paid close to 200k.
The point being, you see this deals as saving money, meanwhile some of us see the truth as it is, it’s letting go of players that ain’t worth the ridiculous wage they’re earning.
Though you could makes slight argument for Laca, but even himself doesn’t score enough goals.
Years ago undef Arsene Wenger, we had players earning much less and performing better, will I be mad that we’re trying to get players who’d earn less and perform better? Hell no to the no no no
If there is a 20 M offer for Lacazette in this summer, I bet Arsenal would accept it. It’d be too low for a good CF like him, but we’d have no other choice
It won’t be easy to find another CF with his abilities though
👍 Most likely. Lacazette has been one of the most underrated players by fans, who obviously don’t understand what he brings to the team. Sometimes during his career at Arsenal, this view has extended to msnagrrs, who dropped him when scoring a goal a game.
Kroenke, inter alia, is the real problem.
Kroenke’s biggest problem has been the Board and senior executives, he has selected and retained to manage his financial and player assets at his Club.
As Sean M has pointed out, sportac.com proves you wrong big time. Salaries are going up not down. And now about our number 9.
Lacazette can leave this summer for 25-35 million or he can leave in 2-3 years for either nothing or for peanuts.
The summer transfer window is prime time to sell the man and both him and the club. Laca will get more minutes and probably score more goals while Arsenal will be able to reinvest.
Send me that link mate
Like i asked who replaced Ozil?
Who replaced Ramsey ?
Don’t sell lacazzete sell Willian why buy him in the first place? Send him back to Chelsea he doesn’t want to be in the arsenal team anyway he said so himself he regrets it.
Does someone know where the money to pay back the 120M covid loan to be paid back in may will come from? Thanks.
Did they get a loan? And if yes how come such an amount will be due so soon?
What is wrong with the idea of replacing Lacca with a talented young centre forward Dan? You are becoming so cynical I wonder if you have a hidden agenda.
Because mate that policy isn’t working is it ?
Dan,much as I respect many of your articles, please refrain from calling me “mate” as I regard it as disrespectful.
No can do I’m afraid
It’s your choice not to ask me questions but won’t be told how to converse
I’m sorry you are unable to go along with my simple request, Dan.In these circumstances I will never give you the opportunity to be disrespectful to this 73 year old again.
I can’t think of any other circumstances
I don’t see what age has to do with anything
I’m a grown adult who will not be told off how I talk ?
You call me cynical and having an agenda which is apparently allowed but then get offended by the world mate ?
I think Laca situation should’ve been dealt with last summer. He was more valuable then and it seemed like a great time to sell. He’s been okay this season, but there are surely better strikers on the market. I agree that it is frustrating how Arsenal time things. As for the wage bill thing, it’s part of running a club. It’s part of running a squad. Having not so good players on high wages while the better players make less causes tension. And even rich ppl dont like to waste money. Lacazette leaving has more to do with his time simply being up than wages in my opinion. And either way, Arsenal need to get in the habit of selling players when they still ahve good value instead of letting everyone leave for free.
RSH, compare the wage structures at other clubs, particularly how few players are on wages are on £100k or more. You may be surprised where Arsenal sits in comparison to its League position.
Off topic mate🤣 but if lacazzete leaves and aubamayang gets injured relying on
Willian 🤣 a joke with no punchline. Then ask too much of a teenager nothing helps if people don’t help each other as for the mate comment sorry Dan I was just yanking your chain it was a joke nothing to be upset over ps don’t send me any inbox about piers Morgan I find it disrespectful.
We can’t say mate
Can’t call potato head Mr
World gone mad
I told you Dan, baby steps…adopting the whole “mate” gig is just a passive aggressive move you picked up from your little buddies…chuffed that other people are starting to wake up to your hidden “agendas”…no wonder you went from a 2 to a 9 without any real provocation…btw although Laca has been known to put in a shift, when motivated, it’s certainly not “guaranteed” as you would have everyone believe…“I think he has been asked to work much harder as a centre-forward,” and “He has to up his work rate and do the closing down and running his new coach demands of him”, just a few examples of contrarian opinions by real footballing pundits who obviously don’t agree with your guaranteed work rate premise…let me know if you would like some more examples mate
In terms of your first two lines …..I have no idea what your talking about
Isn’t ‘ well done baby steps ‘ passive aggressive?
I never claimed to be any football or writing expert
Just someone who enjoys doing it and giving my opinions
If you want to read every article and tell me off then okay lol
Allot of people like my work
If you don’t or my language insults you , you have a choice
Complain ( he said mate !) or don’t read my work
It appears Bellerin is next out the door, another victim of the Kreonke economy drive!!!!
I hope his new NFL stadium in LA is worth it.