There was a wee bit of reaction from my post yesterday, in which I suggested our summer ‘war chest’ may not be as big as we’d like. I had a couple of people suggesting I was talking a load of old nonsense. I don’t deny that I do talk a load of old nonsense but I try to give my opinion with a reasonable amount of guestimation.
So to re-clarify, the reason I don’t think we’re going to have a massive fund for the summer is:
- We aren’t getting £60-£70million for a 31-year old Aubameyang with one year left on his deal
- We aren’t getting £40-£50million for a Lacazette who has so few goals and is out of form this season
- We aren’t going to get very much at all for Özil. His wages will prevent that so it wouldn’t surprise me if Arsenal just want that £350k-per-week off their books and would take next to nothing as a result
- The Kroenke’s are not putting in £100million of their own cash. I doubt they’ll even put in £25million
- We are still paying off the Pepe deal and that will cut into the kitty, surely?
- We have to pay the vast bulk of the Saliba deal I believe, because we deferred it last summer because of the loan arrangement
- We aren’t getting Champions League football to boost the coffers. Winning the Europa League is a possibility but with the good teams in it and our form this season, I think it’s an outside bet, whilst qualifying as a result of the Premier League top four is out of the question.
- The Mkhitaryan, Mustafi and Elneny fees won’t fetch high numbers. We have to be realistic here. They were cast offs who joined clubs that will most likely plead poverty and under pay. Rarely do you see teams offload players and then get top dollar for them in each of these players’ situations.
So, based on a number of those factors I just don’t see us having a big pot of cash, which means we’ll be relying on those shrewd deals that can be struck from Raul and Edu. Raul has already shown he’s in bed with super agents and the result of that means we flush away plenty of our own cash by dealing with them. It probably makes our ability to massively improve the squad even harder to be honest. That’s because those super agents will peddle their players and their agenda and we’ll just have to sit and watch. Cedric Soares was a playing in a position we didn’t have cover for, but was he the best possible option for the team? From across the globe, with all of the options, the large scouting network and the data Arsenal have at their fingertips, you’re telling me that Cedric Soares was the best option?
I’m not so sure. I think he’s a decent player and, like I’ve said in other blogs, it half makes sense. But the moves and machinations of these super agents circling London Colney, like those monkeys towards food at the rock of Gibraltar, all feels a little murky to me.
I do wonder if we’ll therefore start utilising Edu and his South American connections a little bit more as a result. I don’t know if Martinelli can actually be credited with Edu, but the guy was right in the thick of the Brazilian national team and will be keeping his finger on the pulse of South American football, that’s for sure. Plus, players from that part of the world tend to be a little cheaper than their European counterparts, so finding bargains might be a little easier. Benfica and other Portuguese teams have been doing it for years. Find a talent, bring him over and give them a few years to flourish, then move them on if a big fee comes along.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see that happen with us. The difference would be that we have the financial muscle – compared to the Portuguese clubs – to keep the best players, or at least command a mega fee for them if the top tier of European football come knocking.
That sounds like the right sort of model, that will get us going in the right direction, to me. It certainly sounds more sustainable than where we’re at right now, especially if we’re putting millions into the greasy palms of super agents.
That’s it from me today, so I’ll leave you this Thursday, with a ‘good day’ and ‘have a good’un’.
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