We all know the story of the recent past of Arsenal’s sales department. To say it reads like that of a club famed for its prowess in talent identification would be a serious misinterpretation of the current state of the club.
Although the recruitment of Arsenal has taken a positive step in the last couple of years, the consistent cancelling of contracts and selling of players below their market value has been to the detriment of the club’s prospects. The technical director Edu has faced the majority of the criticism for these failures and there is pressure to see change or risk a greater demand for that change to be personal.
The summer of 2022 will see a large number of players move on. Some already have and not exactly for eye-watering figures.
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Dinos Mavropanos and Matteo Guendouzi have moved on for a joint fee just over the £10 million mark. Were they to be sold by their new clubs this summer, they would almost certainly more than triple this figure for the pair combined.
However, there is a chance to turn this around and one player whom Edu could find some reprieve is Bernd Leno. Signed under Raul Sanllehi’s tenure as head of football for more than £20 million, Leno has since lost his place to Aaron Ramsdale.
With just a year left on his deal and with hardly any minutes played for the best part of a year, getting close to the transfer fee paid is out of the question. However, it is the interest of both another Premier League club and that of others which creates an opportunity.
It was reported by The Athletic that newly promoted side Fulham are the primary club looking to steal Leno away, with the keeper keen to remain in London. However, there is interest from those in his homeland including Hertha Berlin.
Edu needs to use the interest from multiple clubs to increase the sale price of Arsenal’s players. Ensuring that the club get the higher fees for potential sales could be the difference between signing an additional player to the squad this summer.
There are others such as Pablo Mari, Nicolas Pepe, Hector Bellerin, Reiss Nelson and Nuno Tavares that have all been linked with moves away. However, only Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Leno have interest from Premier League sides.
The preparation for Leno’s exit has been strong, with the club already securing a move for New England Revolution’s Matt Turner. These types of savvier pieces of business and foresight should be praised, but it will ultimately be the big business and major deals which hand Edu the boost in reputation he desperately needs.
