Arsenal Opinion: Gunners should offload Mkhitaryan to reduce wage bills
According to the Daily Mail, Arsenal are keen to offload Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the summer, with manager Unai Emery reportedly making an effort to reduce the squad’s wage bill.
The 30-year-old Armenian international earns close to £200,000-a-week, a figure similar to striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Mesut Ozil is on a staggering £350,000-a-week deal.
Those sky-high wages are apparently proving to be a big burden on the club’s finances. Emery was told by the hierarchy that Arsenal were solely in the market for loan signings in the January transfer window and the Daily Mail reports that the Spaniard will have a tight transfer budget of £45 million to work with in the summer.
Despite the club’s financial constraints, Emery is looking for a major squad overhaul in the summer and one way to raise funds would be to offload a few big names.
Having slipped down the pecking order since Emery’s arrival, Mesut Ozil is expected to head for the exit door at the end of the season, and now Mkhitaryan’s future is also up in the air.
Unlike Ozil, Mkhitaryan, though, has featured regularly for Arsenal in the Premier League under Unai Emery.
The 30-year-old has accumulated 6 goals and 4 assists from 18 appearances in the Premier League this term. As evident from those figures, he has played a big role in the first-team and has had a pretty decent run in the ongoing campaign.
Mkhitaryan has proved to be a good signing for the Gunners since his switch from Man United last January. He hasn’t done anything extraordinary but few would argue that he has managed to light up the scene occasionally with his creativity.
With Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck out of contract at the end of the season and Mesut Ozil likely to depart, Arsenal
And the uncertainty over Mkhitaryan’s future is a clear indication of the fact that Emery is keen to complete a major squad overhaul.
Well, cashing in on Mkhitaryan won’t be the worst idea for Arsenal as the Gunners can make use of those funds elsewhere. They need to reshape their squad with the addition of two or three young players in attacking midfield, whilst the acquisition of a left-back and a central midfielder also remain a priority.
The decision to get Mkhitaryan off the books might have something to do with tactical reasons as well. The Armenian is an elegant playmaker who has the ability to change the game in a matter of minutes but he has, in fact, struggled to cope with Emery’s high-pressing style.
The former Dortmund man has looked decent when Arsenal have dominated possession but has failed make an impact in games where his team have been starved of the ball.
He excels with his vision and eye for a killer pass but Emery needs a more tenacious and hardworking attacking midfielder to comply with his high-press. Moreover, Mkhitaryan doesn’t do a lot defensively, making him a misfit for Emery’s system that requires the wingers to track back and help out the full-backs.
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Having enjoyed a promising first season under Emery, Arsenal would be hoping to secure a Champions League spot with a strong end to their campaign. Returning to the Champions League would boost their funds significantly in the summer and make Emery’s job a lot easier.
Arsenal definitely need to freshen up their squad with some young talents to build a strong platform for the future and getting a big-earner like Mkhitaryan off the books should be the way forward for the Gunners.
