Complications

Happy Tuesday folks, the new season draws ever closer.

Let’s start this morning with the news from yesterday that Marseille’s interest in Eddie Nketiah is over after they decided to go for Lens striker Elye Wahi instead. It’s disappointing because despite the fact it was initially going to be a loan + obligation, I thought the price was very good, and that would have been a decent fee for a player who hasn’t exactly been banging in the goals.

It’s disappointing for Nketiah too, because what’s obvious is that he needs a move to reignite his career. It’s gone stale for him at Arsenal. If he stays he’ll be third, possibly fourth choice striker, and at 25 that’s not a positive scenario for him. His Arsenal career has run its course, there’s no shame in that. The question is why it broke down. I’ve seen it said Arsenal wanted too much, but it was just the other day that deal was reported by David Ornstein, and I suspect it’s just a case that Marseille preferred Wahi for some obvious reasons.

He scored 12 goals last season, twice as many as Eddie did for us. He’s four years younger, and I think he’s a bit more versatile too, capable of playing in the wide positions which isn’t true of Nketiah. Overall the similar outlay in terms of fee looks better value when spent on Wahi. Would it have happened if we’d lowered the price? Possibly, I don’t know. The reality is there are myriad factors/reasons as to why deals do and don’t happen, the big issue now is what happens next.

I’ve already seen it reported that Bournemouth might be interested as they look to replace Dominic Solanke. That feels a bit convenient to me, I have to say. I’m sure as they seek to bolster their forward line, they will ‘look’ at every striker who might be ready available, and Eddie is definitely one of them. Whether that becomes anything more substantial, we’ll have to wait and see. Obviously Mikel Arteta has a good relationship with Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, and might well talk up Eddie’s qualities should he be asked about them, but football club recruitment is not the sole preserve of the managers these days. I doubt Iraola has the same ability as Arteta to push for a player he really wants, and that’s making the big assumption Nketiah is that kind of player for him.

Elsewhere, there might be a gap at Brentford if Ivan Toney goes somewhere else, but it’s pretty quiet with regards his situation at the moment. Then it’s a case of the market shifting as we get closer to the close of the window, and an opportunity popping up somewhere else. A big sale by a mid-table club could free up cash to invest, for example, but right now it doesn’t seem as if there’s an obvious solution to this one.

The frustration about the Marseille thing is also tied to the perception that in order to make further signings, we have to shift some players out. Eddie’s departure, which seems intrinsically linked to the Reiss Nelson situation too, would have created space for a forward, and while I still think that’s a signing we’ll make before the end of the transfer window, this does complicate things a bit. Even if we have to loan those two players, I believe we’ll add an attacker of some kind to the squad, but the ideal scenario would have been to have real clarity before we do that. The waters are muddier than we might like right now, but there are still 17 days of this window to go, and like many I expect things to really heat up in the next couple of weeks.

Nevertheless, it’s a challenge for Edu and his team that they probably thought they’d taken care of. So far this summer, the outgoings have been decent enough, but there remain three obvious issues. Nketiah and Nelson, as I’ve already mentioned, plus Aaron Ramsdale who surely doesn’t want to play back-up again for another season. In all three cases, the ability to move them on is linked to the fact they’re on big wages due to recently signed deals, and in Ramsdale’s case in particular, there are far fewer opportunities to make a move. A team could push the boat out to have an extra attacking option, but nobody’s going to do that for a keeper – there has to be a spot for him to stake a claim to a number 1 position, and right now it’s hard to see where that is.

So, let’s see what happens, it provides plenty of discussion at least! Right, I’ll leave it there for now, more here tomorrow, and we’ll bring you any breaking news on Arseblog News throughout the day.