Arsenal’s squad building has been outstanding in recent years under Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar, which has helped build a team which can compete for the title.
When Arteta joined Edu in returning to Arsenal in 2019, the recruitment was a mess, and the squad was in disarray, with a lot of older players on big contracts.
However, in the last few years, recruitment has focused on signing and developing younger players, with strict controls on wages and signings, whilst some of the underperforming senior players had their contracts terminated.
Many have questioned Edu’s approach, but both the signing and selling policy at the club appears to be working well, with Riccardo Calafiori set to be joined by Mikel Merino, whilst Emile Smith Rowe departed for a near-club record fee.
Edu has now explained his processes as sporting director when it comes to signings and sales, and revealed why some difficult decisions have had to be made over contract terminations.
Edu Gaspar lifts lid on Arsenal transfer strategy
Speaking on the Men In Blazers podcast, Edu explained why underperforming players over the age of 27 could be problematic within a squad, and why some players needed their contracts terminated despite the expense for the club.
“When you live in the football world, sometimes I have to be simple on the decisions, and sometimes you have to make decisions even if the decision is unpopular,” Edu stated.
“You have to be very strong on your ideas, what you believe, what is good for the club, what is good for the future of the club and everything.
“For me there is are some elements here in football which will always be with a lot of attention. I started to see the squads when I joined, and for me there are three elements to look for.
“First of all, we have to see the age of the player, and then you have to see the salary of the player, and the third you have to see the performance of the player.
“So if you have a player over 26 or 27 years old, you need attention. If his salary is high, you need attention and if he’s not performing, you’re dead.
“If you have a player, 27 years or 28 years old, on big salary, but he’s performing, you can accept.
“What you cannot accept if you have those three elements, and one of them when over 28 you started to be uncomfortable, it’s better to you to move on, because maybe this player is blocking someone younger as an asset to help you.”
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Edu has terminated the contracts of several high profile players in his time at Arsenal, including Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe and Sead Kolasinac.
This harsh approach for players over the age of 27 was effective in helping build one of the youngest squads in the Premier League, and Edu explained how he had to be ruthless to ensure this success.
“When I came into Arsenal, when I saw all squads, with all my respects, almost everyone was over 26, 27, on big salaries, and not performing.
“If we have those three elements, which club in the world wants to come here and buy one of those players? No one, so how you deal with that situation, when you have those situations in your hands, you have to be strong, and sometimes you have to make decisions.
“Either you decide to be strong to let those players go, or your project which was going to take three to four years, is going to take seven, eight or nine years.
“Unpopular decisions start to came, because most of the players who had those elements, sometimes in the club, they have a fanbase, they have the media who love the players, but for the club it is not healthy sometimes to keep the players in that situation.
“I start when I see every single player in the squad with those those characteristics and then I say, ‘guys we have to clean the squad with all my respect,’ and that’s to build again a new foundation here.”
This approach saw the club make unpopular decisions, with popular players such as Ozil frozen out and moved on, but this then led to the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli gaining opportunities instead, and thriving as young but senior players, and given the results, it is hard to argue with Edu’s initial approach in a time of squad crisis.
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