Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has called for careful decision-making regarding player departures as the transfer window edges toward its Tuesday night close, stressing that any sales must serve the club's long-term interests rather than simply meet financial targets.
The Gunners have spent heavily over the past year, committing more than £250million last summer while recouping only around £10m through outgoing transfers. That imbalance has fuelled speculation that Arsenal need to offload players before the deadline, with forward Gabriel Jesus and midfielder Fabio Vieira both linked with potential exits.
Despite the financial pressure, Arteta made clear that Arsenal remain committed to building a sustainable model, but not at the expense of weakening the squad unnecessarily. "That's what we are trying to get as a club but the balance has to be right," Arteta said. He acknowledged that improvements were needed in certain areas to hit self-sustainability numbers, but insisted sales should not be forced through for the sake of it.
"There are areas that we have to improve to hit those numbers. And if it's not with sales, because maybe we don't want... We have to sell what we want to sell as well, not just to sell," he explained. The Spaniard added that Arsenal must be cautious about parting with players who could still develop into valuable assets for the club. "And then when we want to sell as well, we have to be very careful because some of the assets, after maybe they grow and we still want them," he said, pointing to other revenue streams such as commercial growth as alternative ways to strengthen the club's finances.
Arteta also used the platform to renew his criticism of Premier League squad-size regulations, which limit clubs to 25-man registered squads with a set number of homegrown players, plus an unlimited number of Under-21 players. The Arsenal boss believes the current rules create unnecessary strain on clubs and players alike, especially given the demands of a congested international football calendar.
"Yeah, that's why I've been begging the Premier League if we can extend those numbers just for the welfare of the players, which is the most important thing," Arteta said. "Because I think every squad needs more than 20 outfield players, ideally, to sustain the level of demand in international games that we have. But these are the rules, and within the rules, we have to play. Otherwise, we will play tennis."
He stressed the importance of managing player relationships sensitively during this period, noting that being left out of matchday squads can be damaging for morale and market value alike. "Obviously, we need to be very close to the players to explain those situations in the right way, for everybody to feel important, because they will be," Arteta said, adding that Arsenal are not unique in facing this issue. "I've done the research with all the top clubs in Europe, we are not different to anybody. Most of them, 90% of them, they have more players than us. So we are going to have to deal with that."
Arteta concluded by describing the situation as a straightforward problem with an obvious remedy. "Otherwise, you have to tell somebody you are not even part of this matchday. And that's really, really tough," he said. "It doesn't help anybody. It doesn't help the club. It doesn't help the valuation of the player. It doesn't help feel the player that feels part of something. It's, in my opinion, a real issue that has a really, really simple solution."
As the deadline approaches, all eyes remain on whether Arsenal will sanction further departures, with Jesus and Vieira's futures still to be resolved.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.