Theo and the transfer market dilemma « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News, supporting the club, the players and the manager
By Walter Broeckx
Amidst the daily speculation of Arsenal will buy this player and that player maybe it is time to take a more global look on this transfer market.
In our article we counted the players we were linked to and I stopped counting around 35 but have seen at least some 10 more names left and right in papers and on the internet. But all this speculation leads to nothing. All those rumours are just rumours.
Transfers are not easy things and certainly not when you have to work in an over inflated market and have to fight against teams that can outspend you in a wink of an eye. For Arsenal to spend £25M is something that has to be done in an cautious way. Once we have spend that money…it is gone. For Chelsea or City paying £50M is no big deal. The owner picks up his cheque book and it is done.
For Arsenal to be able to pay £25M this means that this is the money they have to work for a year. And even then it doesn’t always work to make a profit of £25M. Let alone £50M. If we had bought Torres for the money Chelsea did and his impact had been the same we would be in real trouble now. Not just on the pitch but also with the bank account.
We must keep this in mind. We are no sugar daddy team. We have to work hard to make some money. And so we have to be careful when we spend the money. There have been bad buys in the past. But this goes for each team. Even United has had their mistakes.
So how do I see the current transfer market for Arsenal and what could be a reason for us not moving things around?
The problem is the situation involving Theo Walcott. Will he sign da thing or not? In this ongoing contract negotiations is the main issue we have.
Now I don’t know anything more than you do but if we take what the media is saying as serious and correct (which is always highly unlikely) we hear numbers going round that they are offering Theo a new contract that will cost Arsenal something between £20-£25M. Depending on which source you believe.
Now look at that number: £25M. This is massive for a non-sugar daddy club like Arsenal. So if Theo signs da thing we will have to make sure we have that £25M in the next months and years. After all we are not Barcelona who don’t pay they players every now and then. That would mean that those £25M go out of whatever transfer war chest is available for the manager.
So with Arsenal not being sure about the Walcott situation (well not in a sure way of: he has signed or said he will not sign) the board doesn’t know how much money actually can be spend now or in the near future.
Theoretically one could say if Walcott doesn’t sign da thing we would have that money available for a new player. But again we don’t know what will happen and as long as the board doesn’t know what will happen they cannot go out and spend money as they are not sure how much there is to spend.
So the board is caught up in the dilemma on how much money they can spend. A dilemma that will stay till the Walcott situation is clear.
Another problem Arsenal might face is that in order to buy a player you need the agreement of a club and of a player to buy someone in this transfer window. I know some players have buy out clauses but most of the time they are rather unreasonably high. And then you also have to be sure that the player wants to come to your team.
Now when Arsenal know the outcome of the Walcott situation it could start the Arsenal transfer window. Only then we could become active I think.
I guess behind the scenes we are already active on some things but as long as we don’t know how much money we really will be able to spend not only now but also in the next years it is difficult to spend money.
One could say that Walcott is holding the key for the Arsenal transfer market. So it would be in the interest of all parties involved to know the final outcome of the Walcott contract negotiations as soon as possible. Like this coming weekend.
So Theo would you mind using your key to unlock the situation and to open the door so we can really get started?
I hope Theo will be part of the Arsenal future but the longer the negotiations keep going the more difficult he makes it for the club to spend the money. Because Arsenal don’t know on whom and how much to spend it for the moment because of that.
Theo, Theo give us the key, Theo… (etc etc)