Arsenal: What else can you do with Henrikh Mkhitaryan?

Arsenal have reportedly turned down Roma’s £8.5m bid for Henrikh Mkhitaryan. I get that the fee is low, but what else are we going to do?

Here’s my biggest fear—the head honchos at Arsenal set the value for all these aging superstars like Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, etc. and if bids come in for any bit less than their valuation, we keep them.

Then we get stuck with them for another year, most of which will be the final years of their contracts, and they walk for bargain rates in the winter or for free in the summer.

I realize that the honchos are smarter than that (probably), but like I said—my biggest fear. It doesn’t have to be realistic. That fear wasn’t meant to include Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but I worry that it now will.

Having spent the year on loan at Roma and impressing enough to merit a purchase offer, I have heard all I need to hear. Roma want to take him off our hands. Hey ho, let’s go.

Unfortunately, the offer is, as the headlines put it ‘measly’ and only amounting to £8.5m.

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So… yeah, that’s definitely measly. I won’t argue that. But we got Matteo Guendouzi for under £7m. I’d rather take the fee we can for Mkhitaryan and spin it into a young talent than hold onto him hoping for, what, £15m?

I get that, for awhile, Arsenal had trouble selling players for just fees. It was an Arsene Wenger-era problem. And seeing Alex Iwobi dumped for £25m+ gave us some key evidence that the time of undervalued sales was over.

That said, again, there’s no such thing as an undervalued transfer for Mkhitaryan. Within reason. And for as low as Roma’s offer was, I’d still take it. In a heartbeat. If we have other offers, or leads on better deals, fine. But our primary goal here should be avoiding being stuck with him ever again. The Fab Four does not need to reunited at Arsenal. Ever.

I have said the same thing about Ozil in the past, but I’m optimistic that his recent upturn in form will spare us of ever having to turn down an offer for him.

Mkhitaryan is a different story. He wasn’t happy at the Emirates. He openly spoke out against it. We don’t need that. Any monetary return would be welcomed, and while Roma’s offer wasn’t dazzling, it sure as hell dazzled me.