Next Step in Arsenal Rebuild: Sell Well

Arsenal’s rebuild got off to a rocky start and the lift given by Unai Emery’s appointment tapered off quickly. Mikel Arteta has since coming and this past window was marred by the financial repercussions of COVID-19, but Arsenal were still able to recruit some top-class players in Thomas Partey and Gabriel.

At the same time, players not fitting Arteta’s vision were allowed to leave on loan.

With the new year has come another window with which Arteta can move towards completing his vision of the ideal Arsenal team. Edu Gaspar has been helping, of course, and the pair have completed loan deals for William Saliba and Sead Kolasinac.

Additionally, Sokratis’ contract has been cancelled and the final step for Mesut Ozil‘s departure is its inevitable announcement (the man’s tweeting from Turkey for crying out loud). While some may be disappointed at the lack of loan fees received by the club, a significant financial burden has been lifted off of the wage bill. As the markets will – hopefully – return to normal soon, and impressive signings walk through the doors, Arsenal must think of the next step in their rebuild: selling well.

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Arsenal must accrue fees for their marketable assets in the coming transfer windows

The club have some profitable assets that can be sold to fund future windows. The summer will be the best time to get maximum value, and for a side as cash-strapped as Arsenal, it is crucial that they sell well. Decisions need to be made on the likes of Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Eddie Nketiah and Alexandre Lacazette.

Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi will be returning from their respective loans and if deemed to still be surplus to requirements, can be sold as well. All of these players, with the exception of Lacazette, are young, experienced and talented. No more accepting minimal fees for players deserving of more.

Arsenal must extract as much money from their sales as possible in order to compete at the highest level. Even though everyone loves to say it as if there’s only one example in the world, just look at Liverpool. While they had world-class players like Philippe Coutinho they could sell for the big bucks, they also sold off Rhian Brewster and Dominic Solanke for farcically high fees.

Emiliano Martinez‘s sale this past summer shows us that the ‘higher-ups’ do know how to sell players. That’s important, because I’d almost forgotten.

They must, however, sell the right players at the right time consistently. Martinez was a positive start even if his talent was obvious, but they need to keep this trend going. No more letting players run down their contracts. And please, for goodness sake, no more Sanchez-Mkhitaryan-type swaps.