Deal will be AGREED – Arsenal will begin talks to SIGN World-class Midfielder who destroyed Man Utd at Old Trafford as player has told Arteta he wants to be an Arsenal player for the next 5-years
Arsenal were dealt a boost to their transfer plans on Monday after not being charged by the Premier League for breaching profit and sustainability rules (PSRs). The regulations are effectively the domestic form of financial fair play (FFP) and have become more and more significant in the past 12 months than ever before.
Having previously never seen any side in the top flight punished for breaking financial terms the Premier League could now be about to do it three times within the same year. Everton have been joined by Nottingham Forest in a nervy wait to see what conclusion an independent commission come to after the two sides were ruled to have broken rules for the latest rolling three-year time period.
The Toffees have already been docked ten-points for failure to comply with the allowed loss threshold provided as they were sanctioned just three months ago for their misdeeds over the 2021/22 season. Now they have been hit with yet another blow.
For Arsenal it has come at a good time. Not only have they avoided possible punishment – something which isn’t a major surprise but the very threat of it has put a supressor on January transfer plans after three years of heavy spending and negligable outgoings – but it opens up the chance of exploiting their fellow opposition.
It comes at a time whereby league-wide activity remains at a general lul. Only Chelsea’s lavish spending last year has made any sort of mid-season impact for some time. Arsenal’s own January plans were limited to riskless deals for Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior and Leandro Trossard in 2023 and came with the high chance that they would be generating money from the Champions League later on in the year.
The same is true now but another £200million spent without recouping much at all means things are a lot tighter and it is a trend across the top clubs with loans and loopholes being explored rather than huge moves. It doesn’t mean that Arsenal cannot benefit from the more stringent restrictions, though.
Even if the Premier League are clamping down on financial management – handing out punishments as a deterent as much as anything so far – there is room to play with. Everton’s eventual appeals may well turn things around, plus it is not yet clear what if any punishment they will be hit with for the second set of charges, but their need to balance the books is clear. The easiest way to do that is to sell.
It is partially why Anthony Gordon left last winter for nearly £20million less than they had been asking for over the summer. It is why their additions have been very limited and players like Jordan Pickford, Abdoulaye Doucore and even Dominic Calvert-Lewin have never truly been off the market.
It is midfield partner Amadou Onana that spikes Arsenal’s interest, though. football.london understands that the club are monitoring him as they look to add steel to their spine. With Thomas Partey struggling with injury, plus his age complicating matters at the same time, Declan Rice needs some support.
Fabio Vieira has been unable to offer much at all since arriving while Kai Havertz is looking less and less like a midfielder by the week. Martin Odegaard can operate as a No.8, but playing two who don’t offer much in the opposite direction is risky. Jorginho meanwhile doesn’t do the desired defensive work even if he does occupy the space.
Onana, meanwhile, is a perfect example of a dynamic defensive midfielder who can add quality and physicality as well as ball progression skills to the pitch. His £50million price tag has been a stumbling block so far, especially mid-season, but things could change with Everton’s latest financial position.
As with Richarlison last year and Gordon in January, accepting lesser prices in order to get deals over the line is becoming a common occurence. If this is still the case, and it very much might be, then Everton may well be roped into selling Onana for below his market value.
It is perfect timing for Arsenal, in a sense. If funds can be made, possibly via the sale of academy graudates – Eddie Nketiah, Reiss Nelson and Emile Smith Rowe have all been linked with sales – then a deal is very possible. This is how the club under Stan Kroenke, with the guidance of Edu Gaspar and son Josh, are working.
It is the modern football way and is necessary to an extent in order to fund big deals. Just how much Everton would be willing to drop their price remains to be seen, though.
