Arsenal's transfer business in recent years has often been viewed in a good light. Gone are the days of placing bets on risk players with sporting director Edu Gaspar hand-picking a handful of smart acquisitions to elevate the club to within touching distance of the Premier League title.
Yet away from the incomings, Arsenal have constantly fallen at the same hurdle of failing to recoup the millions paid for players. For example, goalkeeper Bernd Leno joined Fulham for a deal that could total £8million if they stay in the Premier League next season, significantly less than the £20million they brought him for in 2018.
There was also the case of Alexandre Lacazette. The French striker was signed for a then-club-record fee of £46.5million in 2017. Five years later he returned to Lyon on a free transfer after his contract in north London expired.
And this season, Nicolas Pepe is another prime example of the failed transfer method. The Ivory Coast international cost the club £72million back in 2019 but he has failed to repay that investment on the pitch. After returning from his loan from OGC Nice, he's on Arsenal's transfer list this summer.
The strategy of inheriting the most amount of money possible when selling players is certainly on Edu's list as an area for improvement. Speaking last summer, the former Gunners midfielder explained the process of decision-making. He said: "I think the most important thing is to make the player understand why he is here or why he needs to go, and then we have to create some possibilities with the player’s agents and try to find the best solution possible for the player.
“As soon as you give to them a clear idea of what you want to do, it helps the situation. It’s a challenge because you have to find clubs, situations and loans. But again, if you can be direct to the player in a very respectful way, that helps a little bit to make the best decision.”
This summer, Arsenal face the prospect of another key player leaving. Granit Xhaka is expected to depart for Bayer Leverkusen after seven years at the club. The midfielder enjoyed his best season in the Premier League this term, contributing to 16 goals (nine goals and seven assists) and proved to be one of Arteta's most consistent performers.
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The 30-year-old's deal at the Emirates Stadium expires next year meaning the club runs the risk of losing him on a free transfer next summer. While the time seems right to allow the Swiss to seek a new challenge, the £12million fee that has been mooted seems rather low.
Valued at €30million (£25.5million) by CIES Football Observatory, Leverkusen are signing one of the Premier League's best box-to-box midfielders on the cheap, especially when you compare Manchester City's deal for Mateo Kovacic.
According to ESPN, the treble-winners are on the brink of completing the deal of Kovacic for £34.2million. Kovacic, like Xhaka, only has one year remaining on his current deal at Chelsea and hasn't reached the levels of performance that Xhaka has portrayed.
Of course, the move is splendid business by Chelsea. It does, however, demonstrate Arsenal's soft approach in player sales. If the Gunners want to improve their policy in player sales, their London rivals may have the special formula on how to do so.
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