Yet again, it looks as though Arsenal will be making a significant loss in the transfer market regarding player sales. Bernd Leno has left the club and joined Fulham for a deal that sees the Gunners gain a shockingly small amount up front.
As reported by David Ornstein, Arsenal are set to gain just £3 million, with a further £5million in potential add-ons. Despite the bonuses being accessible, Leno was bought for more than seven times the upfront sale price just four years ago.
Arsenal have reportedly agreed to a £7.5m deal with Galatasaray for Lucas Torreira, according to the Evening Standard. Personal terms are yet to be agreed, but the Gunners would be looking to get around £5million upfront. Again, this is more than four times less than the price paid to sign the Uruguayan from Sampdoria just four years ago.
READ MORE: Arsenal make striker decision as pressure rises for Edu to complete late versatile forward deal
Edu and Mikel Arteta’s tenure in charge has now seen seven players leave either for free, a fee far below what the club paid or, in some cases, Arsenal had to pay off deals in order to terminate contracts. This has been a big criticism of the club but will it change, and why does it keep happening?
The reality is that the players that have been sold, loaned, or had their deals terminated or expire are mostly those signed prior to the recruitment of Arteta and Edu. Even the early moves for the likes of Pablo Mari, Cedric Soares and Willian were completed with the former head of football, Raul Sanhelli, at the club.
It has taken a long time to move on the excess players from a group that had grown far too big with individuals not suited to what Arteta wanted from a team. In that time, the recruitment has improved drastically, and supporters have finally seen their patience rewarded with a side that the majority are fully behind and enjoying watching develop.
Theoretically, this means the sales from the 2023 summer window will hopefully reflect much better on the recruitment from 2020 onwards. It is important that the reputation of Arsenal in the market recovers and fees for players reflect their true value.
There have been heavy links from Juventus to Gabriel Magalhaes. A player brought in the summer of 2020 who has just three years remaining on his deal now.
As more players are bought, others will naturally move on, but due to the increased quality throughout the squad, the Gunners are much more likely to receive better and, hopefully, improved figures than what they invested.
Edu faces the most questions, and rightly so. Whilst due praise for the signings made is deserved, a technical director needs success in both directions, and the fans await evidence he can deliver on these two fronts simultaneously.
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