Arsenal: How can we give Aubameyang and Lacazette raises?

Arsenal’s financial situation is a bit of a mess. While it’s exciting, how exactly are they in a place to give out raises to Aubameyang and Lacazette?

Arsenal‘s wage structure is a mess and a half, and a lot of that comes from Mesut Ozil, as well as not offloading players that they just aren’t using. The solution is supposed to be coming this summer, with the financial situation getting hacked away at, but in the meantime, there is talk that Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are looking at extensions.

And with those extensions, there will likely be raises. Which means more added to the wage bill, rather than more being cut away from it. Now, I’m no financier, but something about this doesn’t make sense.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that we are pursuing extending these two, as they are the two most important players on the team right now. But where is the money coming from if no one has been offloaded yet?

So much of this summer business was predicated on shoveling off the dead weight that was eating up the wage budget – Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, etc. Once we did that, we could start getting serious about signings and new contracts.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 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
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

With no one yet sold, the Gunners are supposedly ready to extend the contracts of both of their star strikers. But then my question is what happened with Aaron Ramsey? The Welshman was supposedly allowed to leave because this club didn’t have the financial resources to give him a new contract. Right?

Where was this enthusiasm and willingness for new contracts when Ramsey admitted that he wanted to stay at the club, but no offer was on the table?

Maybe I’m being petty here, and focusing on the negative side of things, but I’m still not over Ramsey’s exit and I don’t think I ever will be. It was a colossal mismanagement and cost us a legend, but now they’re over here acting like it was in their power all along to give bigger deals to already big wages.

Am I missing something here? Because I feel like I have to be.

On the bright side, of course it would be wonderful to see Lacazette and Aubameyang extended, and I have to imagine that it would mean the end of Ozil as well. Because that money has to come from somewhere. And as I always say, if Ozil is leaving, then it’s a successful window.