Arsenal’s transfer business has been impressive so far, but that has only been when it comes to incoming signings.
Mikel Arteta wanted reinforcements for his team, and he has certainly got them, having landed several new stars for the starting side and the overall squad.
A huge sum of money has been spent, with the Arsenal owners showing their faith in the manager, backing him to go on and win some silverware.
While the Gunners have done well on that front, there are still questions around the other side of their transfer business.
Sales haven’t always been easy for Arsenal, and this summer may only create even more problems for the side.
Ian Graham questions Arsenal’s sales despite impressive summer transfer business
You only need to look at Arsenal’s biggest sales to realise there is a potential problem when it comes to moving players on.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain still remains the record holder for the side, even with the inflation in transfer figures in recent years.
Now, given the strength in depth that Arsenal have, questions are being asked about how they can move others on in the future.
Former Liverpool data chief Ian Graham discussed the situation, as he said on the Men In Blazers podcast: “I think Arsenal have got a really high hit rate [on transfers] over the past few years.
“You know, I don’t know what Arsenal’s parameters and what their goals are, but just thinking back to like Fenway’s goals, the two things Arsenal haven’t hit yet for me are sales.
“So if you look at net spend, Arsenal are way, way outspending Liverpool. Similar gross spend, but Liverpool still make profit on player sales, which Arsenal don’t.
“And they’ve gone old this season. So you know, I can just, I hear John Henry in my ear saying, you’re not allowed to sign any old players. So they’re stocking up problems for the future.”
It may be an issue that a lot of the players signed may not have much resale value in the market in years to come.
However, given the young core of the squad mixed with the desire to win now, it’s the route that Arsenal want to go down.
The idea surrounding sales, though, needs to improve.
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Mikel Arteta can play a huge role in improving Arsenal’s sales potential
Some of the problems surrounding Arsenal and sales can be, at least in part, tracked down to Arteta.
While the Arsenal manager has done a great job, he does make it slightly too obvious when a player is out of favour.
This, in turn, makes it harder for the Gunners to hold any negotiation leverage for exits, as the buying club know that the player is surplus to requirements.
Arsenal have five players they are willing to sell before the deadline this summer, all of which are clearly not in the club’s plans.
It makes it tough to demand any sort of competitive fee for them, which will always result in a lower offer.
It’s an area that Berta has to improve, but he could get some help from Arteta in the process.
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