Paul Merson has claimed in his column for Sky Sports that Arsenal now only seem to sign players no one else is after and do not fight other clubs to make the big-name transfers.
The Gunners icon believes it has been years since the north London outfit beat a rival to a top deal. Mikel Arteta and Technical Director Edu have made five signings this summer in Albert Sambi Lokonga, Nuno Tavares, Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal have spent more than £130m on those five players, but have opened the Premier League season with successive defeats. Merson also takes issue with Odegaard’s return to the Emirates Stadium, having wanted to play for Real Madrid, not Arsenal.
Merson believes Arsenal have transformed from a club who would have turned the likes of Odegaard away in the past. Now, he believes the Gunners are a club happy to take his kind, even though their heart is not there.
“Arsenal seem to sign players nobody else is after,” Merson wrote. “When was the last time they beat someone else to a big signing? We are talking years. If you look at the signing of Martin Odegaard, he went back to Real Madrid after his loan and wanted to play for Real Madrid, not Arsenal.
“All of sudden Real Madrid say they don’t want him, and he comes back to Arsenal where he knows he’ll earn a fortune and play every week. This is how it is now. Gone are the days when Arsenal would have said: ‘We’re a big club, we’re not going to get messed around. You cannot come and sign for us when you feel like it or when you’ve got nothing else’.”
Are Merson’s concerns with Arsenal’s transfer strategy correct?
While Merson claims Arsenal do night fight for the big-name signings, Arteta and Edu fought several clubs for White. Ian McGarry claimed Everton and Chelsea were in the mix for the England defender. The Athletic also reported Liverpool as a potential destination.
However, only Arsenal seemed to be in the mix to sign Odegaard, who lapped up a luscious offer to join. The same could be said for Ramsdale, Lokonga and Tavares, who now provide Arteta depth in goal, midfield and left-back.
But Arsenal can no longer rival Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United for all of the big-name signings. The Gunners’ decline over recent years from perennial top-four finishers to missing out on European football makes them less appealing. Arteta’s side also appear far less likely challengers for the top silverware that their big-six rivals offer.
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