Arsenal’s midfield overhaul will lead to Rodrygo signing, it’s all part of Andrea Berta’s transfer masterplan

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Arsenal have rebuilt their defensive midfield department, and this could indirectly lead them to complete a deal for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo.

Jorginho left for Flamengo at the end of the season after his contract expired, while Thomas Partey is expected to follow the Italian out of the exit door after failing to reach an agreement with the North London club over a new deal.

Martin Zubimendi will arrive in a £51 million deal from Real Sociedad, and Christian Norgaard is close to completing his £10 million switch from Brentford.

The Gunners will be stocked with an entirely new set of defensive midfield options heading into the new season, and they may also have a superstar winger to come with them.

• READ MORE: Confirmed Arsenal summer 2025 transfer ins and outs, signings and done deals

Arsenal’s midfield overhaul will save them a lot of money

Partey’s contract negotiations fell apart due to a disagreement over wages.

The Ghanaian was earning a purported £200,000 a week at Arsenal (via Capology), and was supposedly demanding a pay rise for a prospective new deal.

Given he would’ve likely played a peripheral role at the Emirates next season after the arrival of Zubimendi, it would’ve been a reckless decision to grant him his wishes.

Instead, Arsenal have shed his £200,000 a week from their wage bill, and replaced him with Zubimendi, who was earning £49,000 a week at Sociedad.

Even if the Gunners triple the Spaniard’s wages, they’ve cut the amount they’re allocating on a weekly basis to their first choice defensive midfielder.

Meanwhile, Jorginho was reportedly earning £110,000 a week in N5, while Norgaard was on £40,000 every seven days at Brentford.

Again, even if Arsenal double the Dane’s wages, he’ll be earning less than his predecessor.

Of course, the Gunners have to pay the transfer fees for both signings, but the Zubimendi acquisition was needed after Jorginho chose to leave.

As for Partey and Norgaard, the North Londoners will save a lot more money signing the Brentford star than they would’ve offering the former Atletico Madrid man what he wanted on a two or three year deal.

Arsenal saving money in midfield could free up resources for Rodrygo

While these savings in isolation might not seem significant, they could well lead to Arsenal investing in Rodrygo.

If the Gunners had chosen to allocate a huge amount of their wage budget to Partey, or opted for a more expensive replacement, this may have capped their leeway to invest elsewhere.

However, the Norgaard move not only keeps their wage bill intact, but keeps more funds open for another marquee addition.

Rodrygo is Arsenal’s top winger target, but Real Madrid are likely to hold out for a fee in excess of £70 million for the Brazilian.

This makes him a potentially expensive purchase, but if there had been doubt over Arsenal’s ability to pull a deal off, the club’s hierarchy may now be significantly more confident after their midfield reconfiguration.