Done deal: Arsenal accelerate sales ‘to gift’ Arteta sixth new signing before Crystal Palace clash
Following the arrival of five signings so far this summer, Arsenal are now in a position where offloading players is just as important, if not more so, especially if further incomings are to be targeted.
The new additions, along with the return of several loanees, have seen Mikel Arteta’s squad become bloated and it means that some players will receive very limited game time next season. It’s a scenario which the Spaniard wants to resolve as soon as possible after confirming the process to move individuals on would begin imminently.
“We have a large squad so we have to make some decisions as well on the players that we’re not going to be using consistently and be fair and straight with them and that’s a process that is going to start very soon as well,” he explained. “We have to (offload). We have a big squad and now we have to make things happen.”
So far, offloading players has proved challenging for the Gunners but it would appear that the process Arteta referred to above is now up and running. That’s what reports suggest anyway, with Bernd Leno, Nuno Tavares and Pablo Mari all said to be closing in on moves elsewhere.
According to the Evening Standard, Arsenal are ‘progressing’ in negotiations with Fulham over the sale of Leno after dropping their asking price to around £8m. Meanwhile, various reports claim that Tavares is nearing a loan move to Atalanta and Mari is the subject of strong interest from both Fenerbahce and Hellas Verona.
If the club can free up some space in the squad quickly enough, then the chances of Arsenal resuming their £120m spending spree before the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace increases. It’s safe to say Arteta and technical director Edu are pleased with the business conducted so far, but they’ve both made it clear that the door remains open for more signings if the market allows it.
“There is still a few things that we would like to do in and out and that will be determined by the possibilities that are on the market,” Arteta told reporters in America. “You can see that we are still a little bit short in some positions for the way we want to play. It is something we are trying to address.”
A similar message was relayed by Edu when questioned on the remainder of the transfer window. “I think we have to be prepared for every situation,” he told Sky Sports. “We still feel the transfer window is open and the most important thing is to be prepared for everything, every scenario, because opportunities can happen.”
Whether or not Arsenal will secure their sixth summer signing in time for the Palace match will likely depend on how much progress is made with departures in the coming days, but it would appear that talks are finally moving in the right direction.
