The January transfer window can be quite different from the summer market for Premier League clubs. While most top flight teams spend a majority of their budget on players in July and August, Januarys tend to be a bit calmer. Sure, pricy players can definitely be bought during the winter (Bruno Fernandes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Virgil van Dijk, etc.); however, these high-priced transfers are far more prevalent in the summer.
It certainly appears as if many clubs take the January transfer window to find economical solutions to their squad issues. This was exactly the case for Arsenal last month. Defensive frailties and injuries forced the Gunners to make some moves at an opportune time. Though most fans of the north London outfit wanted their club to go big on defensive reinforcements, Arsenal chose to take the affordable route.
The Gunners brought in two defenders in January: center back Pablo Mari and full back Cedric Soares. Both of these players arrived on loan from their parent clubs. Although neither of these deals necessarily jump off the page, they were smart options that allows money to remain in the safe until the summer window opens in July.
Mari’s loan deal also includes an option to purchase the player should Arsenal choose to do so. This essentially means that if he performs well enough, the Gunners can opt to make the deal permanent for reportedly around £8 million. If the Spanish center back does not do well for the Premier League club, Arsenal can return him to Brazil and not have to pay the extra money.
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This particular agreement avoids any potential repeat of the Gabriel Paulista/van Dijk situation from 2015. Arsenal were reportedly very keen on buying the now Liverpool defender from Celtic in January of 2015; however, the Scottish giants told the Gunners to wait until the summer to buy their star center back. Arsenal decided to spend that money on Paulista in January, rather than waiting it out for van Dijk. The Mari deal gives the Gunners flexibility in their hunt for a proper center back.
Soares’s loan move to Arsenal is a bit different. While the deal did not include any option to purchase the player, his current contract runs out at Southampton this summer. This essentially means that if he does well with Arsenal, they would most likely offer him a fresh contract to remain in north London beyond the current campaign.
Fans of Arsenal surely wanted their club to spend big, but these two loan deals are perfect examples of a low-risk, high-reward agreements. If the new defensive duo play well, the Gunners will look like geniuses. If they flop, at least the club will have not spent much and also still have money to go after a big signing or two come summertime.
from World Soccer Talk https://ift.tt/3b4fhd3
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