Arsenal set to have a quiet summer transfer window

Despite heavy links to players like Partey and Upamecano, Arsenal are reportedly preparing for an extremely quiet summer transfer window.

As usual in the leadup to transfer season, Arsenal fans have been in a frenzy on social media as their club continues to be linked with players despite the ongoing COVID-19 situation. The current player of interest is Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey, while Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano and Reims’ Axel Disasi have also been linked with the club in recent weeks.

Last summer, Arsenal was expected to have a tiny budget of just £40 million to strengthen their squad, and yet, the Gunners went on to spend over £100 million on new players, with Nicolas Pepe being the biggest coup by far. This has led many to believe that Arsenal will continue to go under the radar this summer until they can make a big splash, but that remains unlikely, as the situation they currently face is vastly different to the one they faced last summer.

In a call to club staff this week, Arsenal director Raul Sanllehi has reportedly suggested that transfers are not a priority for the club this summer, and any big splashes in the market should not be expected. This makes sense, as Arsenal are facing a whopping loss of £19 million for the 12-month period ending next month, highlighting the massive issues that failing to qualify for the Champions League has brought the club.

Along with this, player wages haven’t helped either, even with the 12.5% wage cut that has been agreed upon by the players and staff.

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Arsenal are struggling to keep up with their rivals, and the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the club at a really bad time in their history, where they are not exactly flourishing on the financial side of things. With lost matchday revenue, the Gunners are expected to have a modest summer.

It is likely that the bulk of their transfers will come for free, as players like Willian and Ryan Fraser, who have expiring contracts, are being linked heavily with the club. While both of these players would improve the depth of the team, they simply do not have the grandeur of the £50 million signings that Arsenal fans expect and crave every summer.

Of course, other clubs are expected to cut down their spending too, but with another season outside the top 4 looming, Arsenal have far more at stake during this period than others.