Reports: Arsenal Planning a Summer Exodus to Squash Wage Bill
According to British newspaper the Telegraph, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is planning to clear out a lot of his underperforming playing staff this summer so as to free up room his wage bill.
The report claims that players Denilson, Park Chu-Young, Carlos Vela , Andrey Arshavin, Nicklas Bendtner, Sebastian Squilacci, Manuel Almunia and Marouane Chamakh command some £435,000 per week between them.
Highest earners Arshavin (£75k p/w), Almunia and Chamakh (both £60k p/w) have either underperformed or have been absent this season while the rest are loaned out or are not good enough for first team action in the eyes of Wenger.
Arsenal are often lauded as one of the most financially savvy and solvent sides in the English Premier League. What this shows, though, is that even the most prudent financiers can gamble on players that are not good enough. Enough certainly seems to be enough and the ever pragmatic Wenger is no longer willing to chase bad money with good.
Most of these players will not struggle to find employment, with Chamakh rumored to be wanted by Fiorentina in Italy, Arshaven supposedly destined for a return to top flight Russian soccer and Carlos Vela stating he wants to stay in Spain where he is on loan with Espanyol.
Arsenal also will be relieved to clear some room on their wage bill. Lukas Podolski of Germany and FC Koln is a highly rated attacker and comes with enough caps and honours to demand a large pay packet. If reports that he has already signed and passed a medical then the push is on to create a squad place for him as well as freeing up more money with which to coax other players to North London with.
Wenger is said to be looking for a holding midfielder, or even a destroyer in the mould of Patrick Vieira, so as to support Jack Wilshere and Mikel Arteta when they all are fit and together. It would also help Wenger if he had more money available to offer Robin Van Persie lucrative incentives to stay with the Gunners.
In the meantime, though, Arsenal must pull what resources they do have and try to ensure they hold on to third place in the English Premier League and attain an automatic qualification spot for next season’s Champions League.
FEATURED PARTNERS
- 25 Facebook Ads That Make Absolutely No Sense
- Woman Literally Throws Herself At Men
- Fashion Mailbag: Why Are Designer Runway Clothes So Ridiculous?
- Manny Ramirez -- Off the Hook in Domestic Violence Case
- David & Romeo -- Beanie Like Beckham
- Jets Receiver -- Overjoyed to Give Tim Tebow #15 -- The Number's CURSED!!!
- 12-Year Old Skateboarding Prodigy Tom Schaar Lands the First Skateboarding 1080 Ever
- 6 Things I’d Do With Tonight’s Mega Millions Jackpot
- Get Your Tickets Now for BroBible x Milkman’s Doing Bodies Good Tour!