This below is why I was saying WAGES and RESALE VALUE were more important than the initial transfer fee.
I.e. if you spend a whopping £73m on someone, that doesn't matter if wages are low and you get £100m when you sell them...
Whereas the Goons have handed out whopping wages, and are allowing players to leave for free. Happy days!
And note that bit about "clubs can only increase their wage bill by 7% per season" - that prevents Spurs from ramping up salaries if true? Daily Fail article:
Arsenal manager Unai Emery will once again have sparse resources at his disposal this summer with the club set to hand him a mere £45million to spend in the transfer market.
What are the restrictions on the wage bill?
Their wage bill is at the absolute limit, mainly due to the decision to award Ozil a contract worth £350,000-per-week. The deal essentially means the club - in terms of playing contracts - are punching well above their weight.
The repercussion of that deal are starting to take hold. A restricted playing budget in terms of wages and fees is something manager Unai Emery will have to contend with moving forward. Under Financial Fair Play regulations, clubs can only increase their wage bill by seven per cent per season. Arsenal are approaching that threshold with the current wage bill around £210,000,000 in the latest financial results, hence the restrictions.
And who are the top earners?
Ozil by a country mile. Aubameyang earns close to £200,000-per-week, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is on £160,000-per-week while Lacazette’s deal is worth in the region of £140,000-per-week. There are then a host of players earning at least £100,000-per-week. In short: Arsenal’s wage structure is at breaking point.
Why are they letting Aaron Ramsey leave on a free?
The decision is believed to have been taken by Emery. But the financial implications on the decision are clear. Ramsey, rightly so, would have expected a new contract worth well in-excess of his current £100,000-per-week wage - perhaps close to double that sum. The club were prepared to give him an improved deal, and Ramsey was ready to sign. But the offer was eventually retracted, with sources claiming Emery - knowing the budget he is working to - believes the money could be used more efficiently elsewhere.
How much has Mesut Ozil’s huge contract cost them?
A whopping £63million. An incredible amount of money. Given Emery does not view Ozil as a part of his long-term plans - an incredible mistake.
What other gaffes have they made with transfer dealings?
Allowing players to run down their contracts. Ramsey - a proven Premier League player - has been allowed to leave for nothing. In today’s market, Ramsey would be worth in the region of £50million.
Danny Welbeck - an England international - is set to leave for nothing in the summer when his deal expires. Jack Wheelchair was allowed to leave for nothing last summer.
Rejecting a £60million offer from Emirates Marketing Project for Alexis Sanchez in the summer of 2017 only to sell him in a swap deal with Mkhitaryan six months later. Mkhitaryan earns more than Sanchez did at the Emirates. And there’s plenty more examples.
