Aubameyang and Ozil were ‘killing’ Arsenal – Why Arsenal released failing stars
Robin Bairner
- 28 Jul 2022 04:20 CDT
- 3 min read
Arsenal technical director Edu has pointed the finger at stars like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil for “killing” the club.
Edu was appointed to his role in 2019 and has set about making a slow but steady transformation of the Gunners both on and off the field.
Champions League football was narrowly missed last season, but progress is being made, and Edu partially attributes that to taking a ruthless approach to underperforming members of the squad.
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Indeed, he told The Athletic that when he arrived, he felt that 80% of the squad was in that situation.
“There are three elements which in my role I have to be really prepared to be strong on the message to the players: when the player is 26-plus, big salary and he’s not performing? He’s killing you, that kind of player. Because you don’t have a valuation to sell the player, the player is comfortable — Arsenal, London, beautiful, everything is fantastic — and has a good salary. How do you move this player?” he said.
“So, how many players with that kind of characteristics did we have in the past? Eighty per cent of the squad. That’s why I said to them when I made my plan: ‘Guys, it’s not easy to clean the squad straight away because most of the players have a two, three or four-year contract.’”
Edu justifies cutting losses
As well as maximising transfer revenue for players who have left the club, including Emi Martinez, Joe Willock and Alex Iwobi, Edu says that an equally important part of his role is minimising both the wages losses and disruption an unhappy senior player might cause.
This is the stance he took to solve the problem of Aubameyang, who was sent to Barcelona, and Ozil, who was released to Fenerbahce after a long-running feud with the club. The playmaker has subsequently moved to Basaksehir after another issue in Turkey.
But someone will pay if you sell? No, guys — if the player is above 26, 27 and not performing, big salary, no chance
- Edu“If you imagine, ‘Oh, no problem: this season we’re going to expose the player a little bit more and then we sell them’ — no, be realistic. You don’t want to sell the player,” he said.
“Try to avoid one more year with the problem inside, in the dressing room, expensive, not performing. Clean, take it out. Even, I’m sorry, if you have to pay. To leave is better. Because that guy is sometimes also blocking someone.
“I know it hurts, I know it’s strange when I go to the board and say: ‘Sometimes it’s better to pay a player to leave, than maintain them.’ But I consider it an investment. Sometimes people say: ‘It’s expensive.’ I say: ‘No, it’s investment.’ But someone will pay if you sell? No, guys — if the player is above 26, 27 and not performing, big salary, no chance.”
Arsenal have once again been very active in the transfer market in the 2022 summer window and are presently the biggest-spending side in the world.
