Arsenal have just confirmed the exciting loan signing of David Raya, and yet an issue still lingers at the club.
The side have undoubtedly had an excellent window in terms of their recruitment, but are still struggling to offload unwanted stars.
Reports have been quite clear on the names that Arsenal look to part with this summer.
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And those that remain include Nuno Tavares, Cedric Soares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nicolas Pepe and Folarin Balogun.
Arsenal journalists Charles Watts and James Benge mentioned on a podcast earlier today that the club is still interested in signing a forward.
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Moreover, with the significant injury to Jurrien Timber, the side may also have to bolster in defence if Kieran Tierney also leaves.
And you would think that none of this will be possible if Arsenal still have several players they’re looking to off load.
Of the names above, Pepe reportedly earns £140k-a-week, Cedric Soares £75k-a-week and Lokonga £52k-a-week.
And with none of those players in the Arsenal squad against Nottingham Forest, it’s wages that could be much better spent.
David Raya is an excellent signing for Arsenal, but the club still have issues to address
Of course this sentiment won’t be anything new to manager Mikel Arteta or Edu.
Arteta labelled his large squad ‘unsustainable’ at the latter end of pre-season.
And Edu is no doubt working tirelessly to find solutions for all of the players mentioned.
However, securing timely departures at the right price has been a problem in the last few years for the club.
And whilst Arsenal signing the likes of Raya demonstrates excellent progress, they can’t ignore an underlying issue.
Arsenal’s spending could become an issue over time if they are not able to move players on for a fair price.
Granit Xhaka’s sale at £21.4m should hopefully be a sign of things improving, however, it remains to be seen if such value can continue to be found.
And the deeper Arsenal go into the window with a bloated squad, the weaker their selling position may be.