Arsenal have been outstanding in the transfer market in recent years under Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta, with their processes clearly reaping rewards.
Arsenal went through a few years of struggle in the market as poor recruitment led to below-par players, or tactically unsuitable signings, in the late stages of Arsene Wenger’s reign and Unai Emery’s failed spell in charge.
Whilst not every signing can be a success, almost all of Arsenal’s big-money signings have had a strong impact, and have helped transform the Gunners into a title-challenging side with a young squad.
Both Arteta and Edu have been praised and criticised for their roles in transfers, but Edu has now revealed that the whole process behind each deal goes beyond both of them simply selecting players to sign.
Edu Gaspar lifts lid on Arsenal transfer strategy with Mikel Arteta
Arsenal’s approach to transfers under the leadership of Arteta and Edu is marked by careful planning and thorough analysis. In a recent interview with Brazilian outlet Estadao, Edu shed light on the process behind signing new players, and highlighted Arsenal’s intention to make thoroughly informed decisions.
“You can’t sign [a player] for the sake of signing. It has to be a process that takes weeks & weeks. On my desk, I have reports of over 180 pages on one player. It’s really detailed stuff – physical, technical, mental profile, whether he has Premier League experience, whether he’ll be able to adapt – everything,” Edu explained.
“We analyse our deficiencies, where we can improve, where we can invest & then we go in search of that new name. We’ve been discussing what I’m going to do now since January. It’s not my decision or Mikel’s, it’s a group decision.”
How Edu Gaspar and Mikel Arteta revolutionised Arsenal’s transfer strategy
Edu and Arteta both rejoined the club in the late stages of 2019, and the window prior to their arrivals saw Arsenal spend heavily.
David Luiz, Kieran Tierney, Dani Ceballos and Nicolas Pepe joined Unai Emery’s squad, and whilst these players were not bad in isolation, the lack of strategy behind them summed up the club’s failures at the time.
Emery was not keen on Pepe, with Wilfried Zaha his desired target instead, but he and the club failed to work in tandem to bring in the right players for the Spaniard to succeed.
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Edu’s approach reflects a shift from impulsive or reactionary signings to a more calculated strategy aimed at building a sustainable squad. This approach aims to minimise big risks, whilst hoping for a big upside, in both the short and long-term.
There were some failures, with Willian’s arrival from Chelsea a notable disaster, but signings such as Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Magalhaes helped Arsenal outsmart the market to compete with Manchester City on a much lower overall budget.