Former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has blasted Arsenal over their transfer activity in the ongoing window.
Speaking to Sky Sports, as relayed by the Metro, former Tottenham and Aston Villa manager turned pundit, Tim Sherwood has questioned the transfer business done by Arsenal this summer, insisting that they have not really improved the quality in their squad.
Arsenal are the biggest spenders of the transfer window so far in England, having shelled out a sum of £130 million on the signings of Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Ben White, Martin Odegaard and Aaron Ramsdale, with the latter two signings being announced earlier this week on Friday.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta started White and Lokonga in their season-opener against Brentford while Tavares made an appearance from the bench. However, none of them were able to make any sort of impact as the Gunners succumbed to a shock defeat to the newly-promoted Premier League outfit.
While Odegaard and Ramsdale may add a bit more quality and depth to the roster, Sherwood is far from convinced by the signings made by the Gunners. The ex-Tottenham boss insists that the Arsenal fans, themselves, are not confident of their team’s direction despite the heavy investment made this summer.
“No, I don’t think they really improve them. You can ask the Arsenal fans out there and I’m sure they’ll tell you the same. They’re the biggest spenders so far this summer in the Premier League. Are they optimistic about the future of the club this season? The answer is no,” he said.
“They make these signings and year after year who are their best signings? Smith Rowe, Saka and the academy boys who are coming through.”
Sherwood also questioned Arsenal’s decision to sell Joe Willock to Newcastle United, despite the youngster showcasing his goalscoring prowess while on loan with the Magpies during the second half of the last season. “You look at Joe Willock who they’ve sold to Newcastle, a goalscoring midfielder should be still at the football club,” Sherwood said.
White enjoyed a solid season with Brighton & Hove Albion last time out but was found wanting on his debut against Brentford. Lokonga and Tavares, meanwhile, are young players with very little top-level experience, while Ramsdale has seen relegation from the Premier League in each of the last two seasons.
Investing so much on a new goalkeeper after having sold Emiliano Martinez, who has proven himself to be one of the best in the division, does not reflect well on the decision-makers at Arsenal. So, in a way, Sherwood is right questioning the logic behind some of the decisions made by the Gunners this summer.
