Morning.
Let’s start with Emile Smith Rowe and some stories doing the rounds this morning. In one place it’s being reported that Fulham and Crystal Palace have had bids for the 23 year old turned down, in another it’s reported that both clubs are interested but haven’t submitted formal bids yet.
The bid that may or may not have been made is supposedly around £25m, with Arsenal holding out for something closer to £40m. Which I don’t think is completely unreasonable given some of the prices paid for the likes of Charlie Nomark and Brandon Whatsisname in this window already. Also, how many times have we read about Arsenal making bids for players and having our first one rejected out of hand? That’s how it goes in the market, and if we want to change the perception of how we sell, perhaps part of that is being a bit more difficult to deal with.
Obviously you need to find the right balance. If you are willing to let a player go, and the player wants to leave for the sake of their own career, the last thing you want to do is price him out of a move he wants. Then you have an unhappy player that you don’t really want, and that’s no good for anyone. As ever with these kinds of things though, the right price probably lies somewhere in the middle, so let’s see what Fulham and Palace come back with – assuming they actually came with something in the first place.
It does sound as if there’s genuine interest, especially from Fulham, and I think both of these clubs make a lot of sense for a player like Smith Rowe. Obviously I’m putting 2 and 2 together to make 5 a bit here, but I read last week about Arsenal interest in Eberechi Eze, who I think would be a fantastic addition. His situation is a little complicated in that he has a release clause which has to be more or less paid in full to activate, and that’s a lot of cash up front, but if you sell a player like Smith Rowe that’s pure profit on the books because of his Academy status, so perhaps there’s a bit going on in the background. By the way, please don’t take that as inside info, or me hinting at something I have knowledge of, it’s just a slightly arousing thought in my brain this morning.
I have to say, now that the Euros are over, I am curious about the pace of whatever business we have planned. As it stands, we basically have a skeleton squad for the US Tour and the games against Bournemouth and Man Utd in LA, and Liverpool in Philadelphia. If, for example, interest in Smith Rowe is stepped-up and something happens this week, that’s another first team player missing.
Ok, it might be an opportunity for a young Academy player to come along and take part, but it doesn’t do a lot for Mikel Arteta’s pre-season work. To some extent the tour is about marketing, and about connecting with the ever-increasing fanbase in the US again, but ultimately it’s a period for the manager to get his team fit, ready and organised for the new season. So, if players like Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson are potentially going to go this summer, and we’re still awaiting the arrival of any outfield reinforcements, the window to get players integrated and up to speed is pretty slim.
The fact that there appears to be a lot for players to learn and take on-board when they join Arteta’s Arsenal is another factor. Perhaps it explains why our main midfield target is 28 year old Mikel Merino who is experienced enough to be a quick study, but without getting panicky or anxious just yet (the players only returned to London Colney yesterday), I am curious to see how quickly we might get a couple of deals done and whether or not those might happen ahead of the tour. Time will tell, I guess!
The only other news today is that the loans of Albert Sambi Lokonga and Nuno Tavares to Sevilla and Lazio respectively have been officially confirmed. Best of luck to them both. For now, I’ll leave it there, and there’s a new Arsecast Extra below if you haven’t had a chance to listen yet.
