Mikel Arteta may need to look at himself as to why Arsenal struggle to sell players
Arsenal’s record sale is still Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool for £35million in 2017.
You’ll be sick of hearing that by now, but it’s worth reiterating it just to prove how bad Arsenal notoriously are at selling players.
Only three Premier League clubs as of last summer had a lower record sale than that.
For a club of Arsenal’s stature, winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final, that is unacceptable.
There are multiple reasons for it but there is one factor that perhaps doesn’t get brought up enough.
It might be one that fans aren’t comfortable to admit, but Mikel Arteta’s selection policy is actively hurting Arsenal’s ability to sell players.
Mikel Arteta’s team selection may have cost Arsenal millions
One flaw of the otherwise amazing manager is that once Arteta finds his first-choice lineup, he sticks to it almost religiously.
And look, it has clearly worked, given the title win last season. But the cost is that the rest of the squad barely features in meaningful football, and that gives buying clubs leverage.
There are plenty of examples from Arteta’s tenure. Look at how quickly Aaron Ramsdale’s stock fell after being included in the PFA Team of the Year for 2022-23.
Of course, Arteta bought David Raya — a decision that has been massively vindicated — restricting Ramsdale to just two Premier League appearances after the Spaniard usurped him.
A proven 25-year-old English international goalkeeper playing for a title-contending club is the kind of player who should command £30-40million.
But instead, he left for Southampton in a deal worth an initial £18million. Compare that to the £40million Manchester City got for James Trafford.
Kieran Tierney was a fan favourite and key player before Arteta shifted towards using inverted full-backs.
Once the Scotsman no longer fitted the system, he barely played, and Arsenal couldn’t get a permanent fee for him before his contract expired.
Another player they’re struggling to get a fee for is Reiss Nelson. The winger signed a new long-term contract in 2023 after working his way back into Arteta’s plans.
He then quickly fell out of favour again, and Arsenal have had to resort to loaning him out for the past two seasons, when they would like to get him off the books.
That may well have to be the case again this summer. West Ham are exploring a deal for the 26-year-old, but his £100,000-a-week wages are a stumbling block.
Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe and Ainsley Maitland-Niles are just a few other examples of players whose values plummeted after falling out of favour at Arsenal.
Arteta may have been right to move on all of these said players, but the manner in which he phases them out — or doesn’t, at all — is quietly costing Arsenal millions.
Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and, in particular, Ethan Nwaneri, are the latest names to have fallen under this umbrella.
A player of Nwaneri’s talent should be going for minimum £50million, but after falling far down the pecking order, buying clubs know they want to sell. They’ll likely get closer to £30-40million for the 19-year-old.
Andrea Berta wanted £20million for Jesus. That ain’t happening.
Look at how Man City are stretching Tottenham’s resolve for Savinho — a reported £85million. Compare that to the £40million they’ll probably get for Martinelli.
It’s a problem, and it’s negating Arsenal’s flexibility in the market. It needs to change.
Arteta deserves that world-class attacker, and he deserves that reliable Premier League proven defensive cover. But his team selection rigidity might just cost him his top targets.