In this piece of meandering codswallop the Sun, says that Edu confirmed that the club saw paying off certain players (Ozil and Aubameyang come to mind) as a saving because it led to a reduction in costs for the club, and made places available in the “25”.

This has of course really only happened to those two players, and obviously, everyone knows all about it since it was widely publicised.   Aubameyang was reported to be on a salary of around £1m a month and Ozil about £1.4m a month.  The saving to AFC was £28.8 million a year.  Enough to buy a new player.

So that has happened with two players, but this has then been translated into a general policy by HITC in its article, as it says, “Whilst most clubs would sanction transfer sales for actual fees, Arsenal’s highest-paid players have, since the arrival of Mikel Arteta, been paid off by the club to leave for free, with Mesut Ozil, Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang just a few examples of this method.”

“Just a few examples”????  Who else is there?   And to the best of my knowledge Sokratis and Mustafi went on a free transfer.   That is hardly unusual.   There is absolutely no evidence of the club paying the player to leave.

While I was unhappy about the Ozil arrangement (not that my view matters in the slightest, but I mention it in case a reader wants to suggest I am hiding a past opinion) it was on the basis that Ozil was far too great a talent to be frozen out as he was.  But of course, we didn’t really know the whole story of what he was saying or doing.

Now the article goes on to say that the transfer market is difficult and “finding an actual buyer is proving challenging.”   Yes that is so, for all clubs, because of the huge uncertainty in all financial markets, interest rates rising, and the continuing lack of clarity about Super League, with the three remaining clubs now proceeding against Uefa in the courts.

But why in all this is Edu being blamed?  Leno is probably going to Fulham and Torreira to Galatasary for a fee.  And besides, was the departure of Ozil and Aubameyang really the doing of Edu?  Surely it was Arteta working with the club owners – how could Edu have had the power to start swinging deals like that?

They also add, and this is the most bizarre bit of all, “Edu’s latest transfer comments could throw a spanner into the works for the Gunners, with interested clubs now more likely to approach certain players at the end of the window in an attempt to sign them for free.”

The fact is every club knows what the market is like.  Leicester haven’t bought anyone because they can’t sell anyone whereas Arsenal have been buying without selling.  The rule is clubs and players can talk during the last six months of a player’s contract.  Nothing has changed.

And what makes the whole piece rally bonkers is the notion the writer then adds that “after the departures of Leno and Torreira, Arsenal still have as many as nine players they wish to offload this summer.”

Nine players?  (And remember we are not including the youngsters here).   Someone may have slipped my mind but I can’t find nine that we are seriously trying to “offload”.  I probably have forgotten someone completely but for the moment I only have eight… and one of these is almost out the door (Leno).