Arsenal are in need of strikers with Pierre Aubameyang and Alexander Lacazette leaving the club in the space of six months, their exit leaves Eddie Nketiah as the only senior striker at the club, despite signing a new deal the club needs a top addition in this position and Gabriel Jesus has been identified....CONTINUE READING
If recent media reports are anything to go by, Arsenal are leading the race to sign the player and a verbal agreement between the two clubs has been made, a fee in the region of £50m – £60m has been reported, at the moment it seems like a perfect deal, but after Gabriel Jesus salary Demands were revealed I am of the opinion that Arsenal should Call-Off the deal due to the impact it would have on Mikel Arteta’s project at Arsenal.
Here are three reasons Arsenal should not sign Gabriel Jesus because of his salary demands.
1. Salary Demands
Gabriel Jesus is set to earn £220k a week if he signs for Arsenal that translates to £17m a year and £18m if Arsenal qualifies for the Champions League. The salary seems outrageous given that Thomas Partey currently earns £200k a week and Aubameyang was on £250k a week and Lacazette was significantly lower at £180k.
Points Arsenal won with and without Partey: This should justify his salary.
Making Jesus the highest paid Arsenal player is ridiculous considering he wasn’t a regular for Manchester City. Also, the clubs salary structure will be in significant jeopardy than it already is, players like Runnarson, Torreira, Pepe, Mari and Cedric already earn more than Holding, Saka, Magalhaes and Smith Rowe, making Jesus the highest paid Arsenal player could raise eyebrows in the dressing room.
Both Saka, Magalhaes and Smith Rowe are due for a renewal, what happens when they start demanding to earn more or be on par with Gabriel Jesus. Saka especially has been Arsenal’s best player for two seasons running and it wouldn’t be wrong if he demands wages more than Gabriel who hasn’t done anything for the club.
2. The Ripple Effect
If Gabriel Jesus signs for Arsenal and gets to earn £220k a week then the club should prepare for the Ripple effect, as mentioned above other players like Saka, Smith Rowe, Magalhaes, Martinelli, Odegaard and others will certainly want to be on par or significantly closer to the Brazilian striker, what this does is create an inflated wage bill and cause most of the players to be less attractive to potential suitors should the club decide to sell them.
The likes of Mesut Ozil, Aubameyang, Mustafi, Alexander Lacazette, Kolasinac and others are a case study. Arsenal failed to find buyers due to their enormous salaries, very few clubs are willing to pay such extravagant wages.
Like I said Gabriel Jesus will be a good signing for Arsenal if his wage demands go below or is £140k – £160k else it would frustrate cause more harm than good.
