Arsenal’s Possible Transfer Strategies From 2020/21 Season Onwards

The Efficient Purchase Transfer Strategy: Sharp Deals in the Premier League

Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United have often raided fellow Premier League teams for their best players. When City started their journey under Sheikh Mansour’s ownership, they purchased some of the best players Arsenal had at that point. Chelsea brought in Leicester’s lynchpin, N’Golo Kante, and subsequently won the league title. As an Arsenal fan, thinking about Robin van Persie’s instant impact for United is still excruciating.

Even with the above examples, Liverpool have been the true masters of this strategy over the past few seasons. Liverpool largely focused on the best players that relegated teams had to offer; they purchased Jordan Henderson, Andrew Robertson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Xherdan Shaqiri for respectable fees.

This ensured that they only spent big when it was absolutely necessary. All of the aforementioned players, and some shrewd free signings like James Milner, have been significant in Liverpool’s journey to the upper echelons of England and Europe. Most of these players could also be sold for tidy sums should the need arise.

This transfer window, Arsenal could have focused on the likes of Abdoulaye Doucore, Emi Buendia and Ismaila Sarr to address various needs within the team. However, none of these players seem to feature in Arsenal’s transfer plans, or even match current speculation.

Why this transfer strategy may work – It gives Arsenal PL-ready players, often at lower prices. This also ensures that if the player does well, a profit could be earned from their eventual sale. Most of the players also perform at high levels as they are often not burdened by heavy price tags.

Why this transfer strategy may not work – The base prices have definitely shifted. After the success of players like the ones Liverpool purchased, most relegated clubs play hardball for their most prized players. This leads to situations where a club like Manchester City pay £41 million for Nathan Ake to be no more than a rotation player. This level of outlay negates responsible transfer market spending.

Conclusion

Arsenal are firmly a team in transition. Arteta is building the side he wants, one that entails making curious transfers like David Luiz and Cedric Soares, while still looking to invest in more defenders. While Arsenal’s player strategies have shades of all the aforementioned points, it is important to strike the right balance. A balance that sees more Gabriel Martinelli’s, with only an occasional David Luiz.