Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar has seen his summer transfer aims become much trickier after a £60m agreement for Romeo Lavia – indicating a big fee increase in the market.
Just £5million less than what Arsenal paid for Kai Havertz, it appears that 19-year-old Romeo Lavia will be garnering quite the fee for Southampton this summer. Previously linked with a move for Arsenal, who were understood to be reluctant to match a previous valuation at the £50million mark, the actual transfer fee looks to be considerably higher.
Liverpool and Chelsea are the two sides involved in the race for Lavia but Jurgen Klopp’s side, having missed out on £115million Moises Caicedo, are ɾєρօɾτedly the only team to agree a fee at the £60million-mark.These figures are becoming rather ludicrous despite the obvious talent of both players.
Bought for a combined figure of less than £20million between them, are they both genuinely worth more than eight times that now? I guess there’s a debate about what they’re worth and what clubs are willing to pay.
Where that leaves the debate around the price Arsenal paid for Havertz though is a tough one. Many might say that the £65million remains a massive risk at this price, but how much more of a risk is it than the aforementioned pair of midfielders and their relative price tags?
What is true is that Edu Gaspar’s job has surely become much harder.The Brazilian managed to secure two bargain Ԁєɑłs this summer with Jurrien Timber arriving for less than £40million, whilst David Raya is understood byfootball.londonto be arriving on an initial loan with an option for the Ԁєɑł to become permanent in a £30million total package – loan fee included.
But with potential for further needs in the forward line and even suggestions of needs elsewhere, perhaps in the absence of the injured Timber depєɴԀing on his diagnosis, how Arsenal and Edu find more transfer market gems is a mystery but I wouldn’t bet against them achieving it like they continue to do.
The issue at this stage of the window is that clubs are wise to the context of the summer. Ԁєɑłs done after the mid-point of August create a scenario for the selling club where finding an apt replacement successfully is very difficult.
This also encourages selling clubs the hike the prices to even higher levels. In an inflated market, this can make some Ԁєɑłs simply impossible and with Arsenal already working to comply with Financial Fair Play, as the Raya Ԁєɑł demonstrates, there are question marks as to where and to what degree the club can still invest this summer.
