Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal will reportedly have to offload big-name players to make any new additions in the winter transfer window.
According to a report from Football Insider, Arsenal will be forced to part ways with some top stars if they want to reinforce their squad mid-season. Mikel Arteta’s team will have to generate significant funds and balance their books before attempting any moves in January.
Mikel Arteta has done wonders at Arsenal. He has managed to re-establish the North London club as one of the title contenders. However, while the Gunners have been within touching distance of the Premier League title on several occasions, they have not been able to overcome the final hurdle.
To ensure they can bridge that gap, Arsenal made some top signings in the recently concluded summer transfer window. They added the likes of Noni Maduke, Eberechi Eze, and Viktor Gyokeres to their squad.
Arsenal’s need to raise funds
While they forked out a significant fee to sign these stars, the Gunners could not recoup enough funds by offloading fringe players. The North London club had the highest next spend of any side in the English top flight.
Arsenal spent over £250 million, but they could only raise around £8 million through the sales of players like Nuno Tavares and Albert Sambi Lokonga. While they do have enough quality in their squad to challenge Liverpool for the Premier League title, the Gunners might look to add more quality to ensure injuries do not derail them.
But, before they make any moves in the winter window, Arteta’s team will have to raise significant funds. While the North London outfit are expected to offload Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus in January, they might even have to consider selling some important players.
They need to raise a significant fee to balance their books, and then they could look at the market for opportunities to strengthen their squad. It will certainly be a big challenge for the Gunners, as they do not have the best of records when it comes to cashing in on their players.
