The sum can legitimately seem dizzying. At this stage of the transfer window, only two clubs have exceeded this symbolic milestone in Europe. Two other Premier League clubs: Manchester City (108 million euros spent) and Leeds (105 million). But unlike them, Arsenal recorded only minimal revenue from player sales: 14 million euros, spread over the permanent transfers of Matteo Guendouzi to Marseille (11 million euros) and that of Konstantinos Mavropanos to Stuttgart. (3 million euros). The purchases / sales balance of the Gunners thus shows a deficit of 83.5 million euros on this transfer window. The highest negative balance of this window of the transfer market in Europe.
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– 392 millions d’euros, record d’Europe
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The phenomenon challenges as much as it must be relativized. Of the ten clubs that have had the worst purchases/sales balance in Europe for three years, eight play in the Premier League. In England more than elsewhere, the means are greater to compensate for this type of loss. Even for a club that consistently fails in its quest to qualify for the Champions League. “Of course, with Premier League TV rights money and some of the most expensive ticket prices in the world, Arsenal still generate a lot of revenue despite not being in the Premier League.underlines Tom Adams, journalist of the English editorial staff of Eurosport. That’s why they can afford it.”
Özil, PEA, Lacazette: assets eliminated
This “safety valve”, however, does not explain why Arsenal’s negative balance is much larger than that of other Premier League clubs, which also benefit from it. It is on the strategic level, and the radical change of course made by the Gunners, that the London club stands out in the Kingdom. “It’s not just about buying a lot of playersexplains Tom Adams. As part of this, they ruthlessly eliminated players they didn’t want in the team. And often without receiving any transfer compensation, just by simply agreeing to terminate their contract.”
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The main cases are known. There was Mesut Özil, recruited from Real Madrid for 47 million euros in 2013 and released from his contract to sign with Fenerbahçe in the winter of 2021. Then Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the second most expensive transfer from the history of the club, bought for 64 million euros in Dortmund in January 2018 and left freely in Barcelona last winter before the end of his lease with the Gunners. “And even Alexandre Lacazette (came from Lyon for 53 million in 2017 and left without transfer compensation to OL this summer, Ed), even though he was out of contractadds Tom Adams. On a purely financial level, the losses on these players are enormous.”
Expensive in the short term, profitable in the long term?
Losing significant assets without recovering a single euro is part of the reason why Arsenal record little revenue from the sale of their players. On the other hand, the Gunners do not hesitate to invest sums which may seem disproportionate on young people, given their lack of references. Ben White, who arrived from Brighton last summer for almost €60m, is probably one of the most prominent examples. “Before, Arsenal recruited inadequate players with big contractssummarizes Tom Adams. Now it’s much more thoughtful and strategic. Although very expensive.”
This is the radical change of course operated by Mikel Arteta, the price to pay to renew a workforce and, above all, to build a long-term project. “Arsenal had the team with the lowest average age in the Premier League last seasonrecalls Tom Adams. They are clearly trying to have long-term assets which, if they leave the club, will allow them to make a significant margin” While waiting for this eventuality, Arsenal hopes that its somewhat gluttonous strategy will bear fruit and allow it to finally find the Champions League at the end of the season. Other recruits are expected this summer with this in mind, even if it means digging further the deficit in the balance of the club’s transfers.The Premier League does not know the crisis.And Arsenal is the best example.
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