The current summer transfer window has been a bit stretched and stressful as Arsenal and every club in the market (ie everyone!) is having to think twice about buying new top players unless it can fit perfectly into the new rules governing the the amount you can spend according to your income, and to make sure that your wage bill doesn’t go over the acceptable limits.
The rules are very complicated and with the 3 year limits and balancing income, I am sure that every club has to have a full time accountant checking every transaction to make sure you don’t overspend, as Everton and Nottm Forest found out to their cost last season.
But the downside to this is that the more academy products you sell means that that income is classified as pure profit, as you have already spent that money over the amount of time they spent in coming through the ranks.
The Arsenal legend David Seaman, who has been involved with goalkeeping coaching in the Arsenal Academy for many years gave us his views in an interview with online betting site Betway: “I don’t like to see young players moving clubs for profit and sustainability reasons. I don’t think Financial Fair Play is working, and it’s a negative on the game. It’s supposed to level things out, but why do we want to see things levelled out? We like to see success, and it’s stopping clubs from buying players they want to buy.
“The last January transfer window was almost non-existent, because of FFP and the points deductions for Everton and Nottingham Forest. I don’t think it’s making the game better.
“There has been talk of Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe leaving Arsenal, and for me it hurts when homegrown players leave the club. They aren’t getting game time, so they’re going to be frustrated, and fans will be frustrated if they leave because they love singing songs for homegrown players.
“When the academy is successful, it means something at every level of the club. When I coach at Arsenal, I see what the youth players go through to get to this level, and then when they get into the first team it’s a celebration for the entire club.”
Of course he is absolutely right, as I’m sure in Wenger’s time at Arsenal he would love to keep the likes of Nketiah, Reiss Nelson, Smith-Rowe as backups, but as we all well know, they are all looking for new clubs, which will generate pure profit for Arteta to spend on new arrivals and still keep within the limits of Profit and Sustainability Rules.
I am sure some fans would like to see some of our academy players make the grade, but I believe most of us think that Nketiah and Reiss Nelson are simply not good enough for Arteta’s squad. Smith-Rowe is another story, but are we happy that the proceeds will give us pure profit, which will help us bring in even better players?