Arsenal Watch On As William Carvalho Eliminates Himself From Transfer

Arsenal have long been tied to William Carvalho but the Portuguese midfielder has made it quite clear that that tie should now be broken.

William Carvalho was once so closely linked to Arsenal that it was said to be a done deal. In fact, no other defensive midfielder has come as close as William Carvalho to making the jump to North London. However, that was over a year ago. Now, Carvalho’s value has inflated beyond reason and he has still to make an impact outside of Portugal.

Related Story: Arsenal Have To Cut Le Coq Loose

Carvalho was said to be available for somewhere in the £25m range when Arsenal were first linked two summers ago. The report indicated that Arsenal naturally bid somewhere below that, in the low £20m vicinity. After turning the bid down, Sporting CP did a double take in the winter months and said that they would take that bid.

However, in the span of those few months, Francis Coquelin emerged and Arsene Wenger found his brilliant solution.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

Since that time, Carvalho’s price has only increased to where it is now. The Portuguese midfielder recently agreed to new terms locking him in at the club until 2020. His once £29m release clause has now risen to a staggering £35m, according to the Daily Star. How many ways can we say ‘no thanks’?

Carvalho has impressed in Portugal and he is a hot name on the transfer market. He is only 23 years of age and likely has a bright future ahead of him. But there are some major question marks raised by these proceedings.

For starters, why hasn’t he moved? It’s a basic question, but one we must consider. Anyone who is anyone gets out of smaller leagues like Portugal and Russia when the getting is good. They jump to a bigger league in their prime to maximize their potential. Carvalho is not doing that and clearly he is not too interested in doing that. Could it be that his agent has had a word in his ear saying he may not be ready for that level of competition yet?

Not to downplay the Portuguese League, but let’s look at Jackson Martinez. The guy had never been in the Big Five divisions in Europe. yet he dominated the Portuguese League and fetched a hefty sum from Atletico Madrid. I was thrilled Arsenal did not land him because, here is this 29 year old striker who has never been in the Big Five and he is commanding a ridiculous price.

More from Arsenal Transfer Rumours

• Arsenal Transfers: Emile Smith Rowe could leave club before summer deadline
• Arsenal Transfers: Gabriel will not be leaving this summer
• Why Arsenal could sell Folarin Balogun to London rivals
• 5 defenders Arsenal could sign after Jurrien Timber injury
• Why was Kieran Tierney left out of Arsenal’s matchday squad?

Martinez flopped in the first half of the season at Atletico and was offloaded to China.

Now we may never know what could have been, if he would have come around. Diego Simeone tends to think he would have, but it’s the coaches job to keep faith in his players.

At the end of the day, what was complete physical dominance in Portugal translated to diddly in Spain. So what would Carvalho translate to in England? It may very well be worth a shot, but not at that price.

Consider that Granit Xhaka, who is pegged to be the next big thing, and who is dreaming about the Premier League, is commanding about the same price. Yet he has made his claim in the Bundesliga. Who would you rather have?

Next: Arsenal Have Little Room For Payet

Carvalho could turn into something special, but by signing this new deal, he removes himself from a lot of clubs’ transfer radars – namely Arsenal’s. Manchester United may still be able to fork out that fee, but Arsenal rarely engage in overpaying for unproven commodities.