Arsenal set for £45m double transfer boost

Pre-season is now over. Six fixtures have resulted in two victories, one draw and three losses. Fitness has been built up, some players have fallen foul to injury and fan disgruntlement is at an all-time high. Ladies and gentlemen, The Arsenal.

Following Sunday’s defeat to Tottenham it’s now full steam ahead for Friday when Arsenal kick off the season, as they did last term, this time with a first ever Premier League London derby against Brentford in the west of the capital.

Oh, and there is the small matter of trying to sort out the unbalanced squad Mikel Arteta inherited going on in the background.

There are not only too many players on the books, but too many of an unacceptable standard. And this is the key point holding the club back this summer as for every part of the squad worth hailing – the young stars who carried Arsenal last season and the new additions – there are Willian’s, Sead Kolasinac’s and Cedric’s of this world.

Arsenal set for £45m double transfer injection as Mikel Arteta eyes key summer sales to fund arrivals of goalkeeper and attacking midfielder

August will see a spike in activity across the market. Precious few sales have been concluded across the divisions with a limited amount of sides capable of meeting the wage demands and transfers fees Premier League outfits bestow upon their assets.

Movement is happening, however; Arsenal are finally starting to kick into gear and bring in invaluable cash injections needed to start funding the imperative additions the squad yearns for.

Most notable of all of them is Joe Willock. It became very apparent after the Tottenham game that he was edging ever closer to the exit door and The Athletic, among others, confirmed the news that a deal worth up to £25m with add-ons and a sell-on clause was agreed to sell the midfielder to Newcastle.

Could Arsenal have kept Willock and sold others? In an ideal world, yes. But this is not an ideal world. There is a dearth of buyers for the bang-average fringe players the Gunners want to ship and when £25m comes around for a player with two years left on his deal not going to a rival club with no other bidders in sight, you simply have to take it.

Words not used lightly, this is a success for Arsenal Football Club. An academy star going for that money, one who would be an impact substitute all season, in this brutally tough market is superb business. This is will be the record sale of the summer. Ensuring this money is spent accordingly comes next.

But that’s not all. Another sale is now in the offing which could fetch Arsenal a cool £20m. It’s one not to be turned down.

Continued…

Brighton Want Arsenal Striker Eddie Nketiah in £20m Summer Transfer

At the back post…..Eddie Nketiah!

Just one day after the news broke that the striker would miss the entirety of August with an ankle injury, The Sun (who have been unusually accurate with Arsenal news this summer) reported that Brighton want to sign the 21-year-old, with a deal set to be in and around the £20m mark.

Nketiah’s injury was desperately unfortunate. The timing of it hugely unwelcome.

While the Hale Ender’s setback wouldn’t rule out a summer departure, what it would do is risk any deal being left until the very final stages of the window with the buying club understandably not seeing the need to pay a month’s worth of wages on someone they can’t use.

Crystal Palace are also keen but are reluctant to get involved in a bidding war and feel the price may be too much for them. We know Brighton have money.

This isn’t a move that has come about out of the blue. Brighton based journalist Aden Jay-Wood has been following this since May, insisting the Seagulls’ interest is indeed real. Originally with the idea of being included in any potential Yves Bissouma deal, the case for the Malian has since cooled.

Realistically, if £20m comes in Arsenal better have their best poker face on as they try to contain the enormous internal Dubai-style party they’ll be having; £20m would be incredible business for someone with only one year left on their deal who is angling for a move.

Which is probably why the fee in question is somewhat overblown. It would be some coup if Arsenal secured that amount when they’re desperate to sell.

In theory though, £45m for two youth products demonstrates the importance of a strong academy. With Arsenal unable to ship senior stars even for pittance, having solutions to their financial woes like Nketiah and Willock who will bring in straight profit constitutes, once again, a success.

Nonetheless, expect any deal for Nketiah to be left painfully late. Arsenal have no real strength of negotiation in this one.