Arsenal: 5 cut-price summer transfers to prepare for

Arsenal are struggling to sell players this transfer window. Everyone is. As hard hitting and worrying as it may be, it shouldn’t have been expected to play out any differently than it has this summer.

The slow burning nature of the window so far has caused concern among supporters, who have every reason to be nervous of what the team might look like on August 13 when Arsenal take on Brentford in the Premier League’s curtain raiser.

Ben White will be a Gooner by then but may not be ready to start matches, while the rest of the team will look as is it was last season with the exception of three potential absentees in Gabriel, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. So yes, there are some twitchy bums.

All of the #EduOut contingent who are understandably not overawed by what the technical director has achieved since taking the job are already preparing their strongly-worded emails and 280 character social media posts.

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Arsenal: 5 cut-price summer transfers to prepare for as crippled summer transfer market will damage hopes of major financial boosts

Patience, however, is a virtue and there is undoubted mitigation for those in charge of overseeing the sales of a desperately mediocre band of footballers on wages far above what they should be earning who aren’t wanted at a club that has finished in eighth in consecutive seasons.

Even that one sentence is enough to explain why sales have been hard to come by. Or not at all, in this case.

Throw in the additional hindrance of the majority of those on the transfer list not due to stay in England where the money is, and it becomes even clearer.

European clubs can’t afford to meet the wages Premier League footballers are on, nor can they match the valuations placed upon them by the selling clubs. It’s why loan deals with options/obligations are all the rage.

"Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said it himself to Radio Solent Sport: “The market is slow. Everyone wants players but nobody has money. Everyone wants the most money for their players when they want to sell, that keeps everything on hold.”"

It all means Arsenal are even more likely to have to accept cut-price deals for those they’re looking to ship. Like they already have. There will need to be some internal preparation for the sums the club may or may not receive.

1. Sead Kolasinac

Contract expiry: 2022
Normal valuation: £3.5m
Realistic fee: Contract cancellation

Sead Kolasinac is still an Arsenal player, albeit not for much longer. The club won’t go beyond August 31 with him on the books.

He may be re-homed at some point before the window slam shuts. That is the hope, anyway. Whoever is foolish enough to part with a transfer fee this summer will not be parting with what he would normally have been worth if all was swell in the market and with finances.

How much would that be? For someone who got relegated with Schalke 04 off the back of some atrocious form with Arsenal to the point where he was nowhere near the starting lineup, likely not a lot. £3.5m? Maybe? Given he has one year left on his deal and has just turned 28, that might be fair.

Arsenal won’t get that, though. No chance.

More than likely is that there are clubs having a look at him but would rather wait until a seemingly inevitable contract cancellation so they needn’t fork out a fee or pay his wages for a few needless extra weeks.

2. Alexandre Lacazette

Contract expiry: 2022
Normal valuation: £20m
Realistic fee: £13m

If it was this time last summer then Alexandre Lacazette could have gone for more than £20m. His age will come into question but he isn’t a sprinting No. 9 who always plays on the shoulder, and his game is already developing into a way where he’ll be a useful asset to many clubs.

Fast forward 12 months and he’s 30 years old, got one year left on his deal and £13m is about as good as it will get.

Due to the finances across Europe, it’s a deal Arsenal won’t be able to haggle with all too much if they want to sell the Frenchman as reported.

£20m may seem steep to some but if sides on the continent had healthier bank balances there would be enough interested parties to see the figure rise that high.

Should he depart for £13m or so, it won’t make for especially pretty viewing; signed for just shy of £50m and having not come close to making up for that outlay will cut deep.

Not as much as it will hurt letting another player on big wages who won’t be first choice in the lineup next season leave for nothing in 12 months, mind you. Anything is better than nothing.

3. Lucas Torreira

Contract expiry: 2023
Normal valuation: £18-£20m
Realistic fee: £12m

Does Lucas Torreira exist? Is he still at Copa America? Did he ever play for Arsenal? Was it all a dream?

There is absolutely nothing known about Torreira at the moment. No rumours of an exit, no word of him returning to Arsenal. Nothing.

What may have happened is that Arsenal granted him extra time off following Copa America to visit his family in Uruguay following the tragic passing of his mother. That would explain the silence on that front.

He wanted a move to Boca Juniors in order to be closer to his family, one that financially isn’t viable for Boca or Arsenal, with the latter involved in a business that they, as sad as it is, can’t afford sentiment to cost them millions in.

A move to Italy appears most likely, yet there has been nothing about the midfielder anywhere for supporters to go off.

A full international, with European experience, great combativeness and work ethic with two years left on his deal at 25 years old should fetch a decent fee. Paying £26m for him it was still unlikely that Arsenal would make that back, but they could have got close.

Instead, with Serie A and La Liga his only potential moves, the Gunners will be hard pressed to get half of what they paid for him. Having practically gone a full season without playing, not being in Arteta’s plans and with interested clubs all struggling for cash, wherever Torreira ends up will be at on a cut-price deal.

At the time of writing, it’s been exactly 365 days since he last played for Arsenal.

4. Hector Bellerin

Contract expiry: 2023
Normal valuation: £25m
Realistic fee: £15m

Hector Bellerin will leave this summer transfer window and how he does and for what fee will come down to how long Arsenal feel they can dig their heels in.

Inter are the leading contenders as has been widely reported, with right-back an area they’re in need of bolstering having sold Achraf Hakimi for a cool £60m. So, naturally, they’re refusing to cough up the £17m Arsenal want for Bellerin.

He may have failed to recapture his pre-ACL form and last season didn’t cover him in glory, but at the right club the Spaniard can still be a very solid right-back. A change of scenery is needed.

Bellerin has two years left on his deal and is at a good age, therefore £25m would under normal circumstances be about right. This summer is anything but that though, and with Inter so far refusing to include an obligation to buy in their initial loan offer, it could require some negotiating.

Arsenal have already softened their stance on demanding a permanent move, and in order to convince Inter to scrap their option it could end up being that they are forced to lower their valuation in order to convince Simeone Inzaghi’s side to include the obligation. The Serie A champions have other options and Bellerin is claimed to have his heart set on the Italian side so this could end up wandering into such territory.

All those keen on Bellerin, and there are a few, are eyeing loans or derisory offers. As the window drags on Arsenal are going to have to acquiesce their stance.

Not featuring at all against Millwall may hint towards some movement in this front.

5. Granit Xhaka

Contract expiry: 2023
Normal valuation: £25m
Realistic fee: £17m

Granit Xhaka will be playing well into his 30’s. He isn’t going to get much slower or less mobile than he is now. He’s still got real value. He’ll still know how to kick a ball.

Will he be doing so at Roma? It’s a saga that it’s best to avoid following in the Italian press with the hourly updates that repeat the same story with precious little in the way of developments becoming very tiresome.

Most recently what we’ve been told is that ‘everything has stopped‘ because Roma still haven’t matched what Arsenal want. Personal terms have been agreed and the player wants to test himself under Jose Mourinho, but that’s it.

There is still time for other clubs to be involved and, in truth, hopefully there is interest elsewhere that forces Roma to pull their finger out and raise their offer by the £4m or so they’re lagging behind. Xhaka is worth far more than £17m which is a bargain in itself, but with the Swiss now having his heart set on leaving, only a departure will suffice.

Him returning and being part of the squad next season can’t be considered. A buyer has to be found.

If Roma don’t pay the £17m Arsenal want, fingers crossed someone else will.