By Tony Attwood
Back in April it was widely reported that Arsenal were limited to a transfer budget of £50m. Then at the end of May it was said that Arsenal had had their budget increased to £70m. And that is where the figure has stayed ever since – unless we made a big money sale of a player.
And maybe for once the media got it spot on. If we have a look at the transfers thus far we find…
| Club | In | Cost | Out | Income | Loaned out |
| Arsenal | Lucas Torreira | £26.4m | Santi Cazorla | Released | Takuma Asano |
| Stephan Lichtsteiner | Nil | Jack Wilshere | Released | ||
| Bernd Leno | £19.2m | ||||
| Sokratis | £17.7m |
As for possible further incoming I haven’t seen this confirmed but a lot of people are saying that the Matteo Guendouzi transfer from Lorient is about to happen. He is a 19 year old deep lying midfielder. The fee is said to be around £7m.
So without Guendouzi Arsenal have spent £63.3m, with his transfer that takes us up to £70.3m. Give or take £300,000 (and who worries about a mere £300,000 these days) that is it. Fitted into the budget.
Of course there could be some sales to pay for further transfers, the most obvious of which according to the Reports would be Ramsey to leave because he won’t sign a new contract. That could make further money available.
Here are the positions covered:
- Lucas Torreira: Defensive midfield
- Stephan Lichsteiner: Attacking right back
- Bernd Leno: Goal keeper
- Sokratis: Centre back
- Mattéo Guendouzi: Defensive midfield
If it is true that we are buying Guendouzi as well as Torreira then we are going to have a lot of midfielders:
Elneny, Xhaka, Ramsey, Torriera, Maitland-Niles. Add Guendouzi and we have six. Do we need six? Well yes if we are going to have a Cup team and a League team, with multiple backups so that we never get caught out by injury. Playing 4-3-3 in each case everyone gets a game.
Except as I have mentioned in passing before that (rather obviously) only leaves three forward places to include Welbeck, Mkhitaryan, Lacazette, Ozil, Iwobi and Aubameyang. Plus Campbell, Akpom, Lucas and Eddie.
If we take it that Campbell, Akpom and Lucas are not going to stay, and Eddie is going to have a year out on loan, that might work.
But moving back to the midfield, where and when are we going to play Nelson?
And there is the issue of the “17”. My last count showed us having 18; with the late arrival on the scene of Guendouzi that makes it 19 overseas players. That means we have to get rid of two foreigners. That now looks like Campbell and Lucas.
Of course like everyone I want Arsenal to have a great team and win things, but I would also like to see some of the highly talented players like Nelson get a chance. Being under 21 they don’t have to be included in any list, but I would welcome them having a chance.
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EXCLUSIVE: The complete list of the 104 players Arsenal are said to be signing this summer.
Who are Arsenal buying? Opinion, it seems, is divided.
first!
If they keep one HG goalkeeper (Martinez or Macey); Bellerin; Chambers; Holding; Maitland-Niles; Ramsey; Iwobi; Welbeck – that’s the eight HG they need to build a full squad.
Guendouzi is nineteen so does he count as a squad member if he joins?
Cech/Leno
Liechsteiner/Sokratis/Mustafi/Mavropanos/Monreal/Kolasinac
Xhaka/Torreira/Elneny
Ozil/Mkhitaryan
Aubameyang/Lacazette/Lucas
That’s sixteen non-HG.
Big assumptions that Jenkinson, Bramall, Campbell all leaving, along with Oospinaaa.
Room for one more. Akpom anyone? Le Jeff’s twenty, but listed in the first team squad, so maybe that will be it.
I’m so Excited!
I think you are right about us having spent our budget as it stands. £70 m is a simplistic calculation as it ignores wages ( we have released Wilshere to free up some cost) and tge way in which fees like Torreira’s are paid in instalments.
I suspect Lucas Perez might stay but Ospina and Joel Campbell will go and possible loanees include Bramall, Nelson, Holding and Jenkinson . We may also sell Martinez as we are well-stocked in goal.
My preference would be to sell Mustafi .If we did this we would free up ( simplistically) about £25 million but we would need another experienced CB.
There is a reasonably well- balanced squad emerging with the ability to sustain challenges in Europe and at home
Heresy maybe but if we are going to keep an experienced CH then isn’t Mustafi a better prospect than our ageing and injured captain? I’d also like us to keep Perez and give him a proper chance to show what he can do
Admini, please I’ve made a small correction on the last paragraph of my comment posting and repost it.
Of course Unai Emery, the new Gunners boss should give the much acclaimed Reiss Nelson some chances to play for the Gunners in the PL next season. Just as Monsieur Arsene Wenger, the former Gunners boss had given him some chances to play in the PL for Arsenal last season. But what matters most in this respect is for Nelson to seize any chances given to him with both arms when given to him and makes remarkable use of these chances for Arsenal in games in the coming campaign by going beyond just impressing for the Gunners whenever he’s given the chance to play in the team, but impact very possively for Arsenal in the PL games he’ll play in for them by scoring goals and give some assists that’ll lead to goals scored for Arsenal and not just be running up and down on the field of play for Arsenal impressing.
Eddy Nketiah to be sent out on loan next campaign? For me, No Sir! He should be allowed to remain in the Arsenal PL 2 team where he is now but with occasional call up to play for the club in the League Cup, FA Cup and EL Cup games and even to some extends, be given the chance to play in the PL too. For me, Nketiah is too young and a highly young talented in regular goals scoring art for Arsenal PL 2 team to be sent out on loan. His promising goals scoring prowess should not be allowed to be wrecked at any loan club with a big injury suffer to him. But should be kept and preserved at Arsenal to continue developing and making progress. I think it is when a player is not doing well or very well at a club or surplus to requirements there that he’ll could be sent out on loan. But does Nketiah falls into any of these categories? Well, Unai Emery should know better than I do in this regard.
Having spent or about to spend their £70m transfer kitty for this summer, I believe Arsenal could sell a Gunner or two this summer window to fund one or two more transfer this window as being opined in this article posting. But who and who will they likely sell is a matter for debate. Some opinions are saying Ramsey could be sold this window for his refusal to put pen to papers for a new lucrative deal at Arsenal. He wants Mesut Ozil’s £350k/w wages which Monsieur Arsene Wenger had Arsenal board approved for him but in error. For Ozil performance for Arsenal last season scoring only 5 goals and making 14 assists does not suggest he should command such an astronomical wages. I think Ramsey should accept the wages that Arsenal have placed on the table for him to extend his staying at the club. I believe he knows Arsenal will not pay any overboard wages to any player again to keep him after Ozil wages debacle which was a huge huge player wages earning mistake committed by Monsieur Arsene Wenger.
Finally I get to say it, now we have concluded Torreira deal, we have more than £70m to spend, since some idiot scuppered our chances previously saying we were loaded, we took a different tact.
I am quite sure, we will negotiate departures before the window closes, Lucas Perez may get an opportunity to impress, along with Akpom Brammal, Jenkinson and Welbeck.
I am in total agreement about the changing of Mustarfi, I’d cash in and upgrade. I would also hope to see additions in Attacking midfield and added deph in defence.
We should have access to additional funds for the right signings.
I’m now at 4 players:
Diallo
Soyuncu
Meyer
Golivin
weighing up the options.
Leno
Cech
Stephan
Hector
Shkodran
Sokratis
Callum*
Rob*
Sead
Torreira
Elneny
Xhaka
Ramsey*
Ozil
Mikhi
Iwobi*
Aubameyang
Lacazette
Guys that’s 18 players 4 Home Grown at club.
if you add in:
Nelson
Ainsley
GK
Cohen for instance
you make the quota and have 3 spacs remaing.
I didn’t include any player who has questionable quality, short expration date on contract, I can’t be more clear, we should get Monreal and Danny and David moved on. Leaving Perez, unless I am seriously mistaken.
Cambell, Asano, Perez, Adelaide, Jenkinson are all currently listed in first team, I’d not pay too much motice to this.
The first Art of war is…..?
Juventus, do Real a favour, which looks likely to see Bale remain at Real, and Hazard join them, with Isco staying. Modric and Kroos need additional upport, a second to Cesamiro would be welcome and a replacement for the slowly aging Ramos, and something to challenge Marcelo. PLus that GK…..
Juventus just started the motions of the Chelsea exodous, Barcelona are trying to price hike Willian, Hazard will leave, Kante will probably move to PSG. WIll Juventus take Morata back?
Sorry it’s that gentleman Pellegrini who took Jack, good eye for talent, decent man manager and tactician too. Good appointment by the Hammers.
Mahrez is undertaking his medical, which will probably help Leceister keep the rest of the squad and add to it.
Juventus just made the first major power play!
Completely agree Blacksheep
Seangooner, I think it is another site that does the first thing, not us.
Well well, Belgium… it was written in the scripts. KDB had one of those nights, similar to Champions League. Lukaku had a night that’s becoming a theme, dipped seriously since the move, Pigba, and Giroud suffered again. Griezman wasn’t anywhere near his best and well Martinez read the same script given to the none to generous to Belgium official. He actuall7 changed the game significantly, in what was a strange spectacle.
Mad scenes in Picasilly as the French climb monuments in celebration. Singing football is coming home, quite rousing. I suspect that may be true.
The French premiere looked impressed in stark contrast to myself.
I suspect the game was lost when Martinez didn’t simply opt to play with everyone in their best position. He did a Pep, and tinkered at a key moment, with Felaini able to be at his menacing best, but Hazard and KDB porifieral with Lukaku profligate and the diminutive Mertens introduces as France sat back to defend their lead with Matudi and Kante impressive as expected.
The star of the show certainly Mbappe, who will live long in the minds of Belgiums premier league back three.
.
If with 10 mins to go, you’ve given up, you deserve to be on the beach earning a mid level professionals annual in a week.
So Croatia it is, how about it. The World could probably do with it.
@seangooner
Tenth 🙂
Surely Samuel Akinsola Adebosin is a bot….
Arsenal paid a transfer fee in excess of Torreira’s release clause in order to stagger transfer payments over a number of years. If this is case then the club have not reached anything near the £70m transfer budget ceiling yet. Perhaps you should re-visit this once Emery has had a bit longer to assess his players & Arsenal have a had an opportunity to move on any players this Summer. I won’t get into speculating who those players will be but there will surely be a few with a transfer value