While supporters tend to be excited about the idea of potential arrivals on the day of the transfer deadline, the focus has been on those who have been labeled by fans as “deadwood” at Arsenal this this month.
The club have come under increased financial pressure due to their inability to qualify for the Champions League, and with every season they fail to qualify for the first European competition, the situation is getting worse.
Part of this was due to their spending on player salaries – they had to honor big contracts with underperforming players.
Without a doubt, the most prominent player the club have managed to cut ties with during this window is Mesut Ozil, who left for the childhood club of Fenerbahce. The German was making around £ 350,000 a week at the Emirates Stadium, and given he wasn’t even registered To play, you can see why the Gunners were keen to move him even before his contract expired this summer.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos, another who was said to have been on big salaries, also overlooked by Mikel Arteta when registering his teams in national and European competition, also saw his contract terminated and joined Olympiacos.
Sead Kolasinac has joined former club Schalke on loan and it looks like Shkodran Mustafi, who is reportedly earning around £ 90,000 a week, is also getting closer to a move to the Bundesliga.
Although the contracts of these three players were due to expire at the end of the season, it is believed that Arsenal should save money by the summer by releasing them immediately. But perhaps more importantly, they can start planning the next window right away.
A complete squad overhaul has been needed for some time and having struggled to move as many players as they would have liked this summer, largely due to the contractual situations of those mentioned above and the impact of the global pandemic, it Binding solutions were found as soon as possible.
In terms of arrivals, Martin Ødegaard has been on loan for the remainder of the season at Real Madrid, as has Maty Ryan of Brighton. Arteta managed to fill two positions where he felt he lacked coverage and although these were loans, the financial situation the club find themselves in forced him and Edu to get creative.
The Arsenal boss has found himself under close scrutiny this season, but despite having held the position for over a year now, Arteta’s rebuilding has only just begun. The team is leaner and free from overpaid players who tie them up.
Even if the Gunners fail to bring in another player before the deadline, this transfer window will always have been a success.
