Arsenal’s owners KSE have reportedly expressed a desire to improve on a particular area at the club which they feel has been substandard in recent years.
The Gunners have had a good summer in the market, signing a host of very impressive players who have undoubtedly strengthened Mikel Arteta’s squad.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres, Piero Hincapie, Noni Madueke, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi have all joined Arsenal this summer.
However, another aspect of the club’s summer transfer business is said to have worried the Kroenkes.
KSE want Arsenal to improve on player sales
While Arsenal’s status as one of England’s best clubs was rubber-stamped by the quality of players they signed, they weren’t quite so good on the outgoings front.
According to The Athletic, one area that has left plenty to be desired at Arsenal has been with regards to selling players, especially when compared to Liverpool and Chelsea.
The report says KSE want the club to improve in this area as there is a sense they have often missed the right moment to offload a player.
And considering they want Arsenal to be a self-sufficient operation, maximising player value is crucial.
READ MORE: Arsenal fans are buzzing over what Edu has done now, ‘best thing he’s done for the club’
The players who could have fetched Arsenal decent fees
When it comes to getting a rough idea of a player’s valuation on the market, Transfermarkt is a decent website to visit.
And there are notable discrepancies between the TM valuations of some of the players Arsenal offloaded this summer and how much they actually got for them – if they got anything at all.
For instance, Nuno Tavares is valued at €25million, but he was sold to Lazio for just €5million.
Meanwhile, Albert Sambi Lokonga is valued at €8million, but Arsenal sold him for a reported €300,000.
Then there is Takehiro Tomiyasu, a player with an €18million valuation, who was let go for nothing.
Meanwhile, Kieran Tierney is a €9million-rated player who has just joined Celtic on a free transfer.
And Oleksandr Zinchenko, valued at €20million, will be a free agent by the time his Nottingham Forest loan ends.
Had Arsenal done better in maintaining their fringe players’ valuations and cashing in at the right time, they would be tens of millions better off.
As it stands, the Gunners have simply allowed a multitude of assets to depreciate in value, thus losing out on a lot of money.
It says a lot that Arsenal’s record sale remains Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who was sold to Liverpool for £35million in 2017.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
