Edu to make final two Arsenal ‘investments’ but faces £72m loss amid sales strategy growth

Arsenal have faced challenges this window regarding their sales strategy and have begun strongly with the transfer of Granit Xhaka to Bayer Leverkusen.

The club received a significant fee in excess of £21million for the player who was past his 30th birthday and with little time remaining on his deal.

There’s further scope for a considerable recouping of funds from the potential exits of Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey and Folarin Balogun. All three have been linked with moves away and for the latter pair, the club will be looking for fees beyond a potential £40million price point.

This feels like a serious step forward from the likes of Mesut Ozil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Shkodran Mustafi leaving the club through means of mutual termination of their contracts. Yet, despite the improvements it may not yet be the end of contract terminations at the club.

Both Nicolas Pepe and Cedric Soares have not been taken on the preseason tour of the United States. The Ivorian is injured, football audit understands while Cedric was simply not selected by Arteta with the club bringing along new signing Jurrien Timber instead.

So far, only Pepe has reportedly received interest, with CBS Sports claiming a mid-table Saudi Arabian side have taken a look at signing him. However, it seems wage demands are proving a stumbling block in any potential deal.

Cedric, meanwhile, who spent time at Fulham on loan in the second half of last season, has not received any notable interest that has come to the surface. It was understood that his intention was to fight for his place in the squad, but with Timber, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu all ahead of him in the pecking order, minutes seem very unlikely.

Last summer, Edu explained to football audit the process behind paying players to leave. Although at the time it seemed a risky strategy, with how the squad has been built, in hindsight, it has proven a successful method of squad restructuring.

“If you imagine, ‘Oh, no problem: this season we’re going to expose the player a little bit more and then we sell them’ — no, be realistic,” he says. “You don’t want to sell the player (but you have to) try to avoid one more year with the problem inside, in the dressing room, expensive, not performing.

“Clean, take it out. Even, I’m sorry, if you have to pay. To leave is better. Because that guy is sometimes also blocking someone.

“Take it out. I know it hurts, I know it’s strange when I go to the board and say, ‘Sometimes it’s better to pay a player to leave, than maintain them,’ but I consider it an investment.

“Sometimes people say, ‘It’s expensive’ I say, ‘No, it’s an investment’. But someone will pay if you sell? No, guys — if the player is above 26, 27 and not performing, big salary, no chance.”

It seems Cedric and Pepe could be the final two players to be part of this process of ‘investments’ in squad exits. From next summer, it is difficult to see any player who might fall into this category.

from Football Audit
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