4 transfer decisions that cost Arsenal tens of millions

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Should Jack Grealish have taken a penalty in the Euro 2020 final? Should Arsenal have sacked Unai Emery sooner? Was it wise to turn down that particular club’s transfer bid?

It’s the latter that has proven to be Arsenal’s downfall in recent years.

During the most recent summer window, the sale of Joe Willock hinted towards a change of mindset. Two years prior to that Alex Iwobi moved to Everton for £35m in a deal, but that was dictated more by the farcical fee the Toffees foolishly parted with as opposed to clever strategy.

Over the years Arsenal have lost an upsetting number of their top players to clubs considered as their rivals. Everyone knows about the Robin van Persie’s, the Samir Nasri’s and the Emmanuel Adebayor’s. There are countless examples of deals such as those taking place within the league that have left lasting scars.

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4 transfer decisions that cost Arsenal millions of pounds as a result of poor strategy and fear of taking calculated risks

And maybe that has forced the club into an inferiority complex; one where such a degree of panic has seeped into the psyche that when offers do come in for players they opt instead to keep hold of them for fear of fan revolt.

There are a large amount of occasions where money has been offered that Arsenal have rejected which in hindsight were errors. Selling isn’t the sign of weakness they’ve felt it to be.

But not only in hindsight to the club, from the outside looking in some of these deals were also felt to be inadequate with supporters taking a leaf out of the club’s book. Sometimes we too are guilty of clinging on for too long. That is noticeable in the alarming amount of backlash to Willock’s sale, despite the £25m being a splendid deal.

However, there are four instances in recent memory where Arsenal have been offered fees they should have snapped at. Deals that would have brought in valuable finance that seen through today’s lenses are even more puzzling to turn down. Hindsight is, indeed, a wonderful thing.

1. Hector Bellerin – £30m

Hector Bellerin wanted to leave last summer. It’s been well documented. It’s also common knowledge now that Mikel Arteta convinced the defender to stay and shun the advances of European big hitters Paris Saint-Germain.

To the tune of £25m, that is, with an extra £5m in add-ons. Thirty million pounds.

Reported by the Guardian at the time, as well as elsewhere, 12 months on from that decision and Bellerin is over at Real Betis for the entire season for absolutely nothing. As far as the reports state Arsenal haven’t even got a loan fee.

Arteta clearly felt that Bellerin would be a valuable asset to his side for the 2020/21 season, but of all the clubs in the world it was surely Arsenal who knew best of all that the Spaniard’s pre-ACL form couldn’t be recaptured.

Granted, he started that season OK, but there is no finer example of internal misguidance to refuse such a sum of money when the player isn’t even strengthening a rival and is evidently on the decline.

It looks even worse now.