Arsenal’s new transfer obsessions confusing and counterintuitive

Arsenal are honing in on very specific players this transfer window, but their obsessions don’t seem to fit with the short-term and long-term goals of the club.

No matter who Arsenal end up signing, I will love them immediately. There’s no questioning that, ever. But until they sign someone, I will continue to question what I see as two ill-fated transfer sagas that do not mesh with the vision of the club—William Saliba and Wilfried Zaha.

Saliba, while immensely talented and absolutely a candidate for long-term solutions, does nothing for the present-day of this defense, which is where the help is most needed. Unless Unai Emery plans to employ only in-house options until Saliba comes back from his immediate year-long loan, which would kind of defeat the purpose of the transfer window. We need solutions, right? Actual solutions.

There are other names out there—Joachim Andersen, Dan-Axel Zagadou, even Armando Izzo—all of whom would be an immediate help to an ailing defense. All of whom would cost in the same range as William Saliba. None of whom wouldn’t arrive until the summer of 2020. None of whom would leave anything up to question as to the motivations behind fixing this defensive wasteland.

Come the summer of 2020, I’m sure that Saliba will be a lovely addition, and by then, we’ll know good and well what stage Rob Holding, Calum Chambers, Dinos Mavropanos, Krystian Bielik, Zech Medley, even Sokratis are at. We’ll know who has a future and who doesn’t. But with Saliba running the gambit as far as transfer rumors on the defense, I have to wonder if he is the defensive solution that Unai Emery is looking for, with the caveat being we don’t actually get the solution until summer of 2020.

I have patience, but most fans don’t. Are we willing to see another 50+ goal surrendered next year without a real solution on this defense, all in then name of building for the long-term? Normally I’d say a resounding yet, but when you have other names in the mix like Andersen, like Zagadou, who are both relevant in the present as well as in the future, I have to question my own answer to that question. It just doesn’t make sense to me.

Speaking of not making sense, like the hand reaching out of the grave, Wilfried Zaha is back from transfer death. According to recent, reliable reports, he has told Crystal Palace he wants to leave and he wants Arsenal. Which is cute, because last we heard, he was going to cost £80m and we would have to give up any combination of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Reiss Nelson and Calum Chambers to get him.

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

Much like William Saliba, I just want to know why. There are so many talented wingers out there, many of whom are already moving—Leandro Trossard, for instance—and all of whom would cost a fraction of Zaha. In fact, I have yet to see us linked to a winger who would cost even half of what Zaha would cost.

Ryan Fraser, £30m. Leandro Trossard, £15m. Ismaila Sarr, £35m. Hakim Ziyech, £35m. Yannick Carrasco, £30m.

But Unai Emery and the Arsenal crew have starry eyes for Wilfried Zaha, £80m.

You could buy any two of the wingers on that list and have chance enough left over to at least half the cost of a quality centerback not named William Saliba.

Yet, apparently, Zaha’s performance is so far superior that there can be no alternative? Even in his best year, he produced 16 goals. Don’t get me wrong, that’s great production, especially at Crystal Palace. But each and every one of the men on that list has produced equal numbers, many have produced far superior numbers.

It just doesn’t add up. SkySports is covering Arsenal’s pursuit of Zaha, so you know this is heating up, but I do not understand why. Saliba too. These are moves that the Gunners are clearly trying to initiate, but at such a cost that it’s counterintuitive.

We will see what happens as the summer progresses, but I’m not getting many warm and fuzzies from these new obsessions of the club. Unless Emery has copious dossiers on these players and how they are guaranteed to be the perfect fit, but even then, nothing is guaranteed in the Premier League.