Arsenal: My problem with the Denis Suarez mess

Arsenal’s proposed move for Denis Suarez has hit a snag: Money. Here is my problem with this mess: if you want the player, go and pay for him. Either the Gunners cannot afford him or they do not really want him.

This is what we know about Denis Suarez and his potential move to Arsenal this January. He is wanted by the Gunners. Barcelona want to sell him. A permanent deal is not possible because of budget restrictions and a loan move is difficult because Barcelona want to preserve the value of their asset. As such, an impasse has been reached.

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The problem is the difference between an obligation and an option to buy. Based on a loan signing, Barcelona want to insert a summer obligation to buy clause for a reported price of £18 million. Arsenal, on the other hand, do not want to inextricably tie themselves to Suarez and have demanded the clause be an option, not an obligation, that being that they can sign Suarez for £18 million but they do not have to.

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Barcelona were allegedly happy with this if Suarez agreed to a one-year contract extension. His current deal expires in 18 months. Should the option not be taken up, they want a two-year contract to give them a stronger standing in the transfer market to sell for a higher price. Suarez, though, is keen to leave the Nou Camp as swiftly as possible and has rejected that proposal. He would rather remain with the club for another six months and ensure an exit in the summer.

All this, as I am sure you can tell, is rather messy. It is two clubs who both half-want the deal to go through but are not willing to compromise enough to actually make it happen. Arsenal either cannot afford or do not want to afford the price Barcelona are demanding and Barcelona are not willing to lower their price and the clauses of the deal to a level that is acceptable, in the north London club’s eyes.

This is my problem with the Suarez mess: Unai Emery and Raul Sanllehi clearly want the player. So why aren’t they willing to pay for him? There are only two reasonable answers that I can conjure up, and neither is especially hope-inspiring.

The first is that they do not really want him all that much and are only pursuing him because of a need for depth and a lack of other options, ie. they do not want to pay the price that Barcelona are demanding. The second is the club simply cannot afford Suarez, so even if Emery and Sanllehi did want to sign Suarez, they can’t.

I do not know which is true. But both are damning for a club that is allegedly building towards a title challenge. Either they should be able to find players that are actually worth pursuing, which Suarez, if they do not want to commit to paying £18 million in the summer isn’t, or they should be able to afford players that are worth pursuing. In this scenario, one, if not both, is true.

That is my problem with the Suarez. Not that he is or isn’t a good signing. Not that he will or will not help the team. Simply that it hints at ineptitude or inability in the transfer market, and that, in the modern game, is utterly criminal.