Arsenal triple transfer to save whopping £20m annually

It has taken until the last week of the summer transfer window, but it appears that Arsenal is getting closer to moving fringe players out of the club. As is always the case, the late flurry is inevitable.

With no European football this season, the Gunners are only in action domestically with the Premier League, EFL Cup, and the FA Cup the only competitions the north London side is competing in. Given that the club still has a grossly bloated squad, some traction in the departure lounge is essential.

Considering the wealth of players absent from the 2-0 defeat to Chelsea it’s notable just how sizeable the squad is that Arteta didn’t need to tap into the academy to fill his bench; ‘surplus to requirements’ springs to mind.

Fans have been critical of the club’s transfer business, this despite the arrivals of Ben White, Nuno Tavares, Albert Lokonga, Aaron Ramsdale and Martin Odegaard coming through the Emirates door to the tune of around £130m. However, most of the frustration has been directed at the club’s inability to move players on, with few willing, or able, to make the investments needed in a COVID-hit market to lure mediocre players unable to earn minutes at a club heading for mid-table. Shock.

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Arsenal trio of departures to save whopping £20m annually as Willian, Kolasinac and Torreira close in on summer departures from Mikel Arteta’s side

At the time of writing, the only players to leave the club are Joe Willock (permanently to Newcastle), Konstantinos Mavropanos (loan with obligation), Mattéo Guendouzi (loan with obligation) and William Saliba (simple loan). The latter two both moving to Marseille.

Willock was sold to Newcastle for a fee of around £25m, signing a six-year deal, in what has to go down as a triumph of this window for Arsenal. Having been seriously impressive in his short stay on Tyneside, the Willock sale suited all parties. Newcastle needed another central midfielder with a goalscoring threat and Arsenal needed funds to complete the Odegaard signing.

Five new players have been signed by Mikel Arteta and attention now turns to clear out the deadwood – with an eye on funding a move for a right-back.

With the clock ticking, significant movement is taking place as three players close in on securing moves away from the Emirates. Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira is edging ever closer to joining Fiorentina. At long last.

In Torreira’s case, his Arsenal move has never really got going. Since joining Arsenal in 2018, he’s only only played 89 times for the Gunners, scoring four times, and assisting six times. The 25-year-old’s deal with the Italian side is said to be a loan deal with an option to buy with the permanent fee said to be around £12.8m.

The Italian side will pay a £1m loan fee and cover his £75k-per-week wages.

This is just the beginning. More will follow suit and the wages bill will ease up. Who else is leaving and what will Arsenal save?

Continued…

Willian Nears Corinthians Transfer – Kolasinac Also to Leave

Hello, Willian.

The former Chelsea man swapped blue for red last summer and has been nothing short of an unmitigated disaster, scoring just once in his 37 appearances for the club. The winger has yet to make an appearance for Arsenal this season the Sao Paulo outfit have an offer on the table that would see Willian leave on a free transfer with the Gunners subsidising some of his salary. What proportion is part of the negotiations.

Despite only signing a three-year deal last summer, Arsenal, Arteta and Willian all want this concluded before August 31. It’s moving fast and while it’s mentioned the 33-year-old prefers to stay in Europe, he may be short on options. Earning around £190k-per-week, this is fabulous news.

Reducing the wage bill has been one of many key tasks of this window. Even if there is a small payout, Willian leaving will save an obscene amount of money over the coming two years.

Elsewhere, another big earner in Sead Kolasinac is heading towards the exit door. Fenerbahce look certain to secure his signature in some capacity, which looks likely to be some form of contract cancellation. In that case, he’d join the Turkish side on a free transfer, although Arsenal still hope for a full transfer. So long as he’s gone, he’s gone.

There are conflicting reports on the details of his departure as discussions take place over how much of his salary will be shared, but the end result will be another £100k-per-week of the wage bill.

Add those three together and Arsenal save close to £20m annually. That’s £20m for three players who the club don’t even need to replace between now and the window’s closure. There will be fine print here and there as well as some payouts, but it’s still incredibly welcome.

More is still expected to come with Crystal Palace wanting young striker Eddie Nkteiah. First, it was Brighton who were eyeing part of the deal that brought White to the Emirates but now Palace is said to be wanting the 22-year-old.

Nketiah’s contract is up next summer and rather than lose him for nothing, Arsenal have to sell him this summer after he rejected a contract extension. The Gunners value Nketiah at around £20m, however, Palace is only willing to offer £10m to get the deal done. This is hardly the time to be playing hardball. Take the money.

That’s four players edging closer to being off Arsenal’s books in the next week, while several others are next up: Hector Bellerin, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Alexandre Lacazette, Alex Runarsson, and possibly Reiss Nelson are all due to either be sold or loaned in the coming week if deals can be agreed.

Some say it should have happened earlier, but it finally feels like the wheels are in motion for Arsenal to get a host of unwanted players off its books. It’s about time.