Arsenal move one step closer to a startling £19.4m transfer boost with six deals to be announced
Arsenal faces a crucial summer ahead, with the primary objective of providing Mikel Arteta with a competitive team that can secure significant trophies in the upcoming season.
The summer transfer window will play a vital role in assisting the Gunners’ manager in accomplishing this goal.
According to football.london, it is believed that Arsenal’s top priority signing is Declan Rice, the current captain of West Ham United.
It is anticipated that a formal offer for Rice will be made soon, now that the Europa Conference League final has concluded.
Besides Declan Rice, several other players have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal is reportedly interested in Moises Caicedo from Brighton & Hove Albion, Ivan Fresneda, a promising talent from Real Valladolid, as well as Joao Cancelo and Ilkay Gundogan from Manchester City.
Notably, Gundogan could potentially be available on a free transfer as his contract is set to expire at the end of the month.
With Arsenal securing a return to the Champions League and showing potential to compete for major trophies, offering attractive wage packages can play a significant role in convincing their priority targets to join the club and warding off interest from other clubs like Manchester United and Bayern Munich, who are also said to be interested in Declan Rice.
It is true that Arsenal has faced challenges with their wage bill in recent times. When Mikel Arteta took over as manager from Unai Emery in December 2019, the club’s annual wage bill was £128 million, according to Spotrac. This was partly due to Mesut Ozil being the highest earner, reportedly earning £350,000-per-week.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also matched that figure, while players like Willian, Alexandre Lacazette, and David Luiz were earning at least £100,000-per-week.
However, the wage bill has since decreased. As of today, the figure stands at £103.5 million, as several senior players, including Lacazette, Bernd Leno, Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, Konstantinos Mavropanos, and Hector Bellerin, left the club permanently during the previous summer transfer window.
Their departures have contributed to the reduction in the club’s overall wage expenditure.
This summer, Arsenal’s attention is not solely focused on new signings but also on player departures. According to football.london, Auston Trusty, Folarin Balogun, and Nicolas Pepe are expected to leave the club permanently at some point between the opening of the transfer window later this month and its closure on September 1, 2023.
While the departures of Trusty and Balogun could potentially bring in transfer fees that would significantly boost Mikel Arteta’s transfer budget, it has been reported that Arsenal has made plans for the termination of Nicolas Pepe’s contract if there are no suitable cash offers forthcoming.
Pepe’s contract is set to expire next summer, and if the club does not receive any satisfactory transfer offers, they may explore terminating his contract instead.
Nicolas Pepe’s departure alone is expected to save Arsenal approximately £7.2 million based on his annual salary, according to estimated figures from Spotrac for the upcoming season. Additionally, Pablo Mari’s permanent transfer to Monza for £5.9 million will result in further savings of around £4.2 million on wages.
There are also two more deals in progress that will have a significant impact on the club’s finances. Ainsley Maitland-Niles is set to become a free agent when his contract expires at the end of June, which will result in additional savings.
Moreover, Granit Xhaka is reportedly in advanced talks for a £13 million move to Bayer Leverkusen. If these deals are finalized, Arsenal will save another £8 million on wages.
These combined player departures and potential transfers will contribute to substantial savings for the club and have a positive impact on Arsenal’s financial situation.
Excluding any transfer fees and considering the anticipated departures of Nicolas Pepe, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Pablo Mari, and Granit Xhaka, Arsenal is expected to save approximately £19.4 million in wages. These savings can potentially be allocated towards future investments in strengthening the first-team squad.
Moreover, if players like Kieran Tierney, Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, and Runar Runarsson also depart during the summer transfer window, the overall savings on wages will increase further.
As the summer unfolds and more potential player movements take place, the exact figure of savings will continue to evolve. However, the current projection suggests a significant amount that Arsenal can utilize for potential squad improvements.
Arsenal move one step closer to a startling £19.4m transfer boost with six deals to be announced