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Arsenal: Grading January transfer window moves

ByAndrew Dowdeswell|
SWANSEA, WALES - JANUARY 30: Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Arsenal warms up prior to the Premier League match between Swansea City and Arsenal at Liberty Stadium on January 30, 2018 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
SWANSEA, WALES - JANUARY 30: Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Arsenal warms up prior to the Premier League match between Swansea City and Arsenal at Liberty Stadium on January 30, 2018 in Swansea, Wales. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
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Arsenal, Francis Coquelin
LONDON, ENGLAND – DECEMBER 28: Francis Coquelin of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park on December 28, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Selling Francis Coquelin for £12 million – B

Something that Arsenal have struggled with for many years in the transfer market is being able to sell players for the peak of their value. There has been a variety of reasons for this, from mismanagement of contracts to untimely injuries, from poor, unwise negotiating to undeserved loyalty, but, for whatever reason, consistently, Arsenal have not sold well. That changed in this window.

The first instance was Francis Coquelin’s £12 million departure to Valencia. The central midfielder had seen his role significantly reduced thanks to proven fitness of Jack Wilshere throughout the opening few months of the season. As such, he clearly did not feature in Wenger’s plans anymore. To get £12 million for that type of player is good business.

I would have rated this higher, but the only issue is that I still feel Coquelin, given his unique skill set that is unlike any other midfielder in the squad, could have provided a nice steely balance during the remaining months of the year. However,  Wenger thought otherwise, I cannot quibble all that much in disagreement.

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