lack of long-term deals
Looking at the current Arsenal squad contracts reveals a damning situation. Out of 28 senior players (excluding Runarsson and Iliev), 4 are secured to long-term deals (4+ years). Only 7 can be considered core players to build around, with 13 long-term assets identified. As a result, 17 players have uncertain futures at the club, and 12 are certain departures within the next 2 years. At least 2 first-team players will be leaving the club this summer, and there are question marks over the best players in the starting 11 (Leno, Lacazette, & Aubameyang).
By the end of the season, 6 players will be free agents, and 4 will be down to the final year. We finished 8th for two years straight, and have no European football for the first time in 30 years.
Stakes are high, budgets are limited, and the margin for error is slim. In short, Garlick and Edu have a lot of work ahead of them to overhaul this squad.
Players We can build a Team around
Core Squad
Things don’t look so bad here. The only immediate threat is Emile Smith-Rowe, and he’s in negotiations over a new deal. Tierney, Gabriel, and Partey won’t be due renewals for at least 2 seasons, so we can rest easy for now.
However, 3 players (Pepe, Martinelli, and Saka) will also have 2 years remaining at the end of the season, and tying these players down to new long-term deals is essential.
This is where the first real test of Garlick and Edu appears. What will they decide to do with Pepe? He’s 26 years old and yet to come into his own at Arsenal, so any renewal represents a risk. A new deal will also mean an improvement on current terms, so this will have to be considered, as will the usual signing on, agent fees, and other bonuses.
Earning a reported £140k per week and costing a club record £72m (a combined £108.4m), Arsenal would do well to recoup even half that amount. Therefore, it may well be that the only course of action is to double down on investment. He has improved year on year and is coming into his peak years. If ever there was a year for Nicolas Pepe to prove his true worth, it’s now.
All things considered, the main criticism of the core squad (providing Smith-Rowe and others sign new deals) is that there are only 7 players in it. Early activity in the window suggests that this number will increase, and I’m encouraged by the profile of players we are targeting for once [link to article about “arsenal are finally targeting the right players]. There’s room for optimism here.
New Signings Needed: 17 players down to the final 2 years
Arsenal Contracts Expiring 2022 - (12 Months Left)
This is where the mess begins. 6 players in this group will be out of contract in June 2022. Among them are players that Arteta has indicated he likes, so they should have a part to play in the upcoming season.
Chambers is one of those players. There is no news on a contract extension or him being offered to clubs. Surely Arsenal aren’t planning on releasing him for free at the end of the season?
Others are so poor (Kolasinac) that we literally can’t even give them away and will likely have to pay to terminate their deals. We rejected offers in the £25m mark for Nketiah in January. He is yet to sign the extension offered in June, and so now we’re open to selling (no doubt at a reduced transfer fee).
Guendouzi and Torreira’s (2 years remaining) situations are well documented. Both will be departing the club this summer. Lacazette earns in the region of £180k, is 30 years old, and was one of our best performers last season. His wages are an issue in the current landscape, that few clubs can afford. As such, Lacazette probably offers more to the team if he’s allowed to stay to the end of his contract than any fee we would receive.
Mohamed Naser Elsayed Elneny
Last but not least, we’re left with the lynchpin in midfield. He passes El-Sideways, and he passes El-Backwards. Sometimes he passes so El-forward, that he is known as El-Messi. I am, of course, referring to the Pharoh Of Egypt himself, the answer to Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Viera in midfield, Mr. Mohamed El-Marley.
All kidding aside, I like Elneny and respect the way that he carries himself. He’s been a positive figure in the dressing room, and I wish more players in the modern game were as humble as he is. That being said, we all know his time is up, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t leave for free at the end of the season.
Arsenal Contracts Expiring 2023+ (2+ years remaining)
Goalkeeper
We have no second choice
As it stands, we have a problem on our hands.
We chose to sell Emiliano Martinez so Bernd Leno could remain the number 1. However, off the back of a poor season, he is now open to leaving the club and has 2 years left on his deal. Martinez, meanwhile, went on to become EPL GK of the season with Aston Villa. Ryan looks likely to move elsewhere [link to a ryan article/wider GK situation update], however we have tied our third choice keeper (Arthur Okonkwo) to a long-term deal. The other two senior keepers are crap.
*Insert sarcastic round of applause*
An idiot with a blog can see that Leno isn’t suited to Arteta’s Style of play. So it’s baffling to me that those in charge couldn’t see that too. He’s an excellent shot-stopper but is not up to scratch when playing out from the back. Set pieces also concern me, and I genuinely have heart palpitations whenever we concede one.
To make matters worse, we’re now looking for a homegrown solution. So we’re effectively searching for a downgraded Emiliano Martinez and could lose Leno in the process. Meanwhile, two players who should’ve been sold for a combined £50m (AMN & Nketiah) are instead likely to leave for a pittance.
I was going to say a blind man could have seen a clearer picture, but head over to The Blind Gooner’s channel, and you can find out for yourself!
A Talented Crop of Youngsters (& Willian)
There are two players whose treatment by the club is nothing short of insulting.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ future is up in the air. His performances were pivotal in Arsenal’s FA Cup win and deserved game time this season. He also could have been sold, with strong interest from Wolves. Instead, he was benched for half the season and played in a relegated team for the remainder.
Saliba’s is a separate case entirely and one that I’m not going to comment on beyond this: Talented, young, 3 years left, mismanaged, disliked by Arteta, don’t understand the thinking here.
Mavropanos is another unfancied player. His departure is already confirmed via a loan-to-buy move, to Stuttgart. Willian also looked to be out of the door. Unfortunately, in another Arsenal stroke of genius, we decided to sign a 32-year-old to a 3-year deal, pocketing nearly £200k per week. He’s already priced himself out of one move, and it looks like we’ll be stuck with mop-head 2.0 until we terminate his contract. FYI, I was a mophead, so I can say that.
|
Arsenal Players Earning £100k+ Per Week
| |
|---|---|
|
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
|
£250,000
|
|
Thomas Partey
|
£250,000
|
|
Willian da Silva
|
£192,308
|
|
Alexandre Lacazette
|
£182,063
|
|
Nicolas Pepe
|
£140,000
|
|
Hector Bellerin
|
£110,000
|
|
Sead Kolasinac
|
£100,000
|
|
Bernd Leno
|
£100,000
|
|
Granit Xhaka
|
£100,000
|
|
Source: Spotrac.com
| |
Last but not least, we have Reiss Nelson. He’s 21 years old with bags of potential, yet only featured in 440 minutes last season. Reports indicate that he’s been offered a new deal to avoid him entering the final year.
Perhaps as a club, we’ve finally learned our lesson in this regard. Arteta has spoken highly of Nelson in the past and suggested that attitude and other off-field factors are what is hampering his development.
Whatever the case, he needs playing time, and Arsenal are looking to loan him out. Should he choose not to renew, I imagine that loan deal will have an option to buy.
A Total Rebuild is required. Can an Inexperienced Team pull it off? (Conclusion)
So there you have it. Out of 17 squad players, Mari, Cedric, Holding, and Balogun are the only ones with certain futures at the club. Each is tied down for at least the next 3 years so there’s not much to be said here. Here’s to hoping that Balogun will make an impact.
Edu is learning on the job. Garlick – our chief contract negotiator – hasn’t worked at a club the size of Arsenal.
It’s down to them to make the right decisions, and both roles require some time to cast a fair judgment. There have been a combined 18 leadership changes at the club in the past 5 years. So there is something to be said about having some stability – at least for a while.
Are Edu and Garlick up to the task? Can they sort out the clusterfuck? Are we keeping the right players?
What do you guys think?
I’d love to hear your take on it in the comments below.
Peace out.