Looking for a bargain in the transfer market is something that is rarely associated with Arsenal who have overpaid significantly for players who have taken them only backwards since their arrival.
However, things have changed in recent years with Mikel Arteta and Edu identifying several players who have signed and, so far, outstripped their transfer fees considerably for Arsenal.
The summer saw players such as Takehiro Tomiyasu, Aaron Ramsdale, Nuno Tavares, Martin Odegaard and Sambi Lokonga all arrive for reasonable figures and their performances this season have justified the investment put into them. This does not mean that they can take their foot off the pedal however and the scrutiny will continue throughout their tenure at the club.
The signs are positive though and adding Gabriel Martinelli, Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Magalhaes into the fold from the 2019 and 2020 summer windows shows the gradual progress being made.
The upcoming summer window though will have a strong air of expectation with it and fans are hopeful of some big-money signings. In particular, supporters want to see significant spending focused on the striker and central midfield role.
Yet, this does not mean that Arsenal cannot try to improve the squad using their newly accrued street smarts in the market.
One example which jumps out is Napoli midfielder, Fabian Ruiz. The Spaniard has been linked with a move to north London and according to the Mirror, Arsenal representatives have met with the player’s agents.
With just a year left on his deal come June, it is understandable that a reasonable agreement could be struck, and the reported figure sits in the £16 million range. A fee that is considerably less than the Spaniard’s true value in the market.
Considering that Arsenal have been linked with Youri Tielemans, a central midfielder who would occupy the same position as Ruiz in the team, the difference in price makes it difficult to lean towards the Belgian.
Granted, the Leicester City man has more Premier League experience and if Arsenal can afford the difference that should be considered. However, when the quoted fee is more than double that of the reported Ruiz price, it is difficult to justify.
Het Nieuwsblad via The Express claim that the Foxes would demand £34 million for Tielemans. In fairness, for a player of Tielemans reputation, even this feels appropriate to be described as a potential bargain.
Time to get greedy. Mohamed Elneny’s deal expires in the summer and Roma continue to be linked with Granit Xhaka and football.london understands the Giallorossi are expected to return with a bid in the summer.
If both are to leave, investing a combined £50 million in both Fabian Ruiz and Youri Tielemans would represent a significant upgrade on the Arsenal midfield for a respectively meagre figure in today’s market.
Without delving too far into the realms of FIFA career mode lunacy, suggesting Arsenal focus their major investment on a striker is not exactly wild thinking.
Having already acquired Thomas Partey and Lokonga, with the exciting Charlie Patino coming through, adding the likes of Ruiz or Tielemans for a cut-price deal and then going big on a couple forwards seems like a good method for the 2022/23 season.
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