The value of Arsenal’s squad has plummeted, dropping them below Leicester and some £200m away from Spurs in what is a damming indictment of how the club has been run.
According to transfermarkt, Arsenal’s total squad value is now around £483.3m which is down from £546.89m at the end of Unai Emery’s first season in charge, despite a net transfer spend of £115m.
Compare that to Leicester City, whose squad now sits in 15th place, above Arsenal in 16th, valued at £499.59m.
If you think that’s bad, Spurs sit in 10th place with a squad value of £633.6m. Of course, Harry Kane’s £108m valuation bumps that up a little, but even if you take him out, they still come in at £525.6m, some £42.3m above Arsenal.
Part of Arsenal’s drop can be attributed to the club’s treatment of a handful of players.
When Unai Emery was sacked and Mikel Arteta arrived, Matteo Guendouzi, for instance, was valued at £45m with talk a few months previously, in the summer, of Arsenal wanting £60m as bigger clubs sniffed around. Now, Arsenal are struggling to get clubs to pay up £15m, while Guendouzi is valued at £18m.
Mesut Ozil, too, was worth £20m, and £4.5m when we let him leave for free. Lucas Torreira was worth £40.5m, and now that’s down to £18m.
That’s £65m alone wiped off the value of the Arsenal squad because those three were no longer wanted.
Matteo Guendouzi ⇓ £27m ⇓
- Arsenal paid £7.2m
- Highest value as an Arsenal player £45m
- Current value £18m
- Value when Edu and Arteta arrived £45m
Lucas Torreira ⇓ £22.5m ⇓
- Arsenal paid £25.79m
- Highest value as an Arsenal player £49.5m (June, 2019)
- Current value £18m
- Value when Edu and Arteta arrived £40.5m
Mesut Ozil ⇓ £20m ⇓
- Arsenal paid £42.3m
- Highest value as an Arsenal player £45m
- Value when released by Arsenal £4.5m
- Value when Edu and Arteta arrived £20m
- Fee received £0
You can see the top 20 squad values in the image below:
Of course, diminishing contracts play their part but there is no escaping that the way the club decided to treat these players specifically, and some others in general, has driven the value, and quality, of Arsenal’s squad downwards.
I’m not entirely sure what Mikel Arteta’s process is, but I don’t think it’s meant to be this.