Arsenal are still open to making further signings this summer but will look to sell before bringing anyone else in, according to the Evening Standard’s Arsenal correspondent Simon Collings.
The Gunners look set to complete the signing of Declan Rice for an initial £100m as well as Ajax defender Jurrien Timber for around £40m.
Kai Havertz has already been signed from Chelsea for £65m, and the Gunners now look set to focus on getting players out before bringing anyone else in – with the likes of Granit Xhaka, Kieran Tierney, Thomas Partey, Folarin Balogun and Nicolas Pepe among those who could depart.
And former Hayters TV reporter Collings, speaking on the Hayters TV Podcast, believes Arsenal under sporting director Edu should expect to get good fees for their players this summer, and says selling is an area where the club still needs to improve.
“I think they’ll still be open to doing business,” he said.
“I think this is the predominant, large chunk of their business. I think now, it will be a case of getting people out the door before getting others in.
“I think Arsenal in this Edu era, they’ve bought well, certainly in the last two seasons, but they’ve not sold well. You look at Bernd Leno a year ago, £8m.
“Over the next summer window, January, years to come, Edu needs to improve selling if he’s really going to stamp his legacy at this club. That’s one area where I think he hasn’t quite nailed it yet.
“The issue before is that he’s been selling players that haven’t necessarily been in demand, whereas this summer if you look at Kieran Tierney, you’d think he’s a good player people want, Xhaka, Balogun.
“This summer he’s going to be selling players that should command fees. I think he will argue before that he didn’t have the players to sell to generate good fees and he did what he could.
“Whereas this summer I think there’s justification to say we’ve got good players here, we should be getting good fees.”
Xhaka looks almost certain to depart for German side Bayer Leverkusen for a fee €25m, while a host of other players could follow him out of the exit door following a big transfer spend this summer.
Nicolas Pepe was signed for £72m in 2019 but with just a year left on his deal and not in boss Mikel Arteta’s plans, the Gunners will no doubt be looking to move him on for a fee this summer.
But Collings believes that may not be easy for Arsenal to do.
“Pepe is someone they’re going need to try and find a buyer for,” he explained.
“It’s been a deal that just hasn’t worked out. At the time I think a lot of people were excited.
“My concern is how are you going to find a buyer for him in this market? When fans don’t really think of him as part of the club, what will buyers think?”
