£170m wasted - Have Arsenal learned their lesson in the transfer window?

Stefan Bienkowski

• 24 Jun 2021 17:25 BST
• 3 min read

Arsenal have very rarely been experts in the transfer window throughout the modern history of the sport.

Not only are the London club currently lingering in mid-table of the Premier League with a poorly-assembled squad but even in their hayday, Arsene Wenger and his backroom staff weren’t exactly known as excellent wheeler-dealers.

While avid fans may dispute this point, it seems as though the club itself have accepted as much if reports in England are anything to go by.

According to a report in Football London, the English side have decided to change tactics in this summer’s transfer window and will instead look to sign players that have already proved their credentials in the Premier League.

This, naturally, is a precursor to the club paying a remarkable amount of money to sign Ben White from Brighton & Hove Albion. A deal which will reportedly cost the London club no less than £50 million.

So have Arsenal finally learned their lesson in the transfer window and will instead look to sign proven quality from other Premier League clubs?

Arsenal’s lacklustre record in the transfer window

When we take a look through the club’s list of signings over the last few seasons it’s not hard to see why Arsenal are a little fed up with signing players from abroad only to watch them struggle in England.

For example, why Thomas Partey may end up being an important player next season, the former Atletico Madrid midfielder seriously struggled to adapt to the pace of the Premier League and wasn’t quite what fans were expecting when he arrived for £45 million.

Equally, £72m on Nicolas Pepe and a further £27m on William Saliba looks like even worse business, with the former still struggling to nail down a first-team spot in Mikel Arteta’s team and the latter still to play a single first team game for his employers. And the less said about the £26m spent on Lucas Torreira, the better.

Of course, Arsenal have signed a number of impressive players from Europe and further afield over the years, but the sheer amount of money wasted on players outside of the Premier League in recent seasons may suggest a change in tactics is needed. And it seems as though that’s exactly what the club are now doing.