I cannot help but look at the face of Arsenal’s transfer business, Edu Gaspar, as something of an easy target for when the Gunners do not get their targets. Having been promoted from technical director to sporting director this year, the Brazilian has delivered, alongside manager Mikel Arteta and supported by others and overseen by Stan and Josh Kroenke a progression of the club back to a title race.
This has been achieved through a serious overhaul of the squad that Edu and Arteta took on in 2019, and getting full reins of in 2020 after the departure of head of football Raul Sanllehi. However, what has plagued their tenure together is a list of players they’ve wanted but been unsuccessful in signing.
With Declan Rice being the primary target this summer, and a player who football.london understands to be very interested in a move to north London, more so than anywhere else, missing out on the England international would be a serious reference point to the clubs' critics, and specifically the face of the transfers, Edu.
Yet, if the figure that any rival club manages to agree with West Ham United was indeed within what Arsenal were capable of spending then surely this falls on the people holding the club’s money, Stan Kroenke and his fellow co-chairman and son Josh Kroenke?
Suggestions Edu should have been faster in negotiations to wrap up a deal sooner do not work either. football.london understands that West Ham United’s strategy to maximise the value of Rice was never to accept bids early on and with just one suitor.
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The Hammers were aware of interest from Manchester City and Manchester United and were always going to wait for that to become something tangible which we’re led to believe is now the case. Even had Arsenal gone in early with a £100million offer to West Ham, the likelihood of a rejection remains, with the east London side said to have had an initial valuation of Rice at an eye-watering £120million.
The success of Arsenal’s bids has seemingly been to lower that initial valuation to closer to the £100million-mark, something which would not have been the case had the Gunners bid close to this figure initially. The problem is they have effectively brought the valuation down not only for themselves but for City, who have now swooped in to join the race with the money being discussed at a lower number - although it certainly doesn’t feel an appropriate word considering the figures.
The bottom line is that as the priority target Rice needs to be secured by Arsenal and the club need to stump up the funds to make sure Manchester City do not win this race. Time will tell whether the Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke will be responsible for the lack of backing, or whether Edu ultimately failed to agree to what is seen as a reasonable price by the club.
