Mikel Arteta reportedly wanted to bring Barcelona’s La Liga and World Cup winner Samuel Umtiti to the Premier League – but can the Gunners afford him?
Arsenal have backed out of a potential deal to bring Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti to the Emirates are unwilling to budget for his £135,000-a-week wages, according to Sport.
The Gunners are using their time in lockdown wisely it seems. With their error-strewn backline once again holding them back, despite considerable improvements during the Mikel Arteta tenure, reinforcements are a must.
But while Arsenal were linked with a World Cup winning Barcelona star not so long ago, Sport claiming that Arteta was keen on the idea of bringing Umtiti’s undoubted ability and vast experience to North London, it seems that the Premier League underachievers are now looking at cheaper options instead.
The likes of Axel Disasi will not arrive with the same proven, top-level quality. But with Arsenal set to miss out on another year of Champions League riches, they are no real position to go all-out for some of the biggest names in the game.
According to Sport, Barcelona are hoping to get the increasingly injury-prone Umtiti off their books – with even a season-long loan deal a possibility. But his £135,000-wages appear to make a move to Arsenal about as unlikely as Mesut Ozil breaking the landspeed record.
If Spotrac are to be believed, only four players in Arsenal’s current squad earn more than Umtiti per week. And, with the Frenchman missing 38 games since the start of 2018/19 due to a series of fitness problems, perhaps they feel he is an expensive risk not worth taking.
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