PSV chief uses ‘normal’ Arsenal transfer example in sly dig at Man United
Under Mikel Arteta’s leadership, Arsenal’s transfer strategy over the past two years has resulted in a transformation from a mid-table team to a contender for the Premier League title.
The Gunners’ progress has been impressive, and they currently sit atop the league table with a five-point lead over Manchester City and only 11 games remaining.
The acquisitions of players such as Ben White, Aaron Ramsdale, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, and Jorginho have all had a significant impact at Emirates Stadium.
Arteta has constructed a young and motivated team that has bonded over time and become a formidable force in the Premier League, driven by a strong desire to win.
Edu Gaspar, Arsenal’s sporting director, has demonstrated a willingness to pursue the players that Mikel Arteta desires for his team, but only on the club’s own conditions.
The Gunners are determined not to engage in bidding wars with other clubs or pay inflated fees for players, as evidenced by their past failures to secure deals for players such as Mykhailo Mudryk, Lisandro Martinez, and Moises Caicedo.
Marcel Brands, the chief of PSV Eindhoven, has criticized Manchester United, one of Arsenal’s biggest rivals, for their £86 million acquisition of Antony from Ajax last summer.
Brands has referred to this signing as ‘madness’ and has pointed out that other players with similar abilities have been signed for much lower transfer fees.
“If you compare it with transfers that were realistic, such as that of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City to Arsenal: that was also around that rate (£45m). Those are normal amounts,” Brands told BNR.
“I think everyone in football knows that Antony was a madness. I think Raphinha is an even better player than Antony, but he left for much less (£55m).
“Of course it was a financial issue. But on the other hand you also have to be realistic.
“If Liverpool come for Gakpo and promises have been made, you can’t stop that. Madueke was not planned and not expected, but it came a lot of money on the table and it was Chelsea. That’s when we made that choice.”
Despite Antony’s impressive statistics of nine goals and three assists in 32 appearances for Manchester United this season, they are not as good as Gabriel Jesus’ five goals and seven assists in 21 games, despite him missing three months due to injury.
Arsenal has demonstrated that clubs can sign impactful players for under £50 million, as evidenced by the acquisitions of Jesus, Zinchenko, and Trossard.
This sustainable model allows Arsenal to develop a title-winning team through the market, while Manchester United’s trend of poor investments at Old Trafford continues, despite having more financial resources than most Premier League clubs and supporting their new manager Erik ten Hag.
PSV chief uses ‘normal’ Arsenal transfer example in sly dig at Man United
