Another season over, and another step forward for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side weren’t able to end their two-decade title drought, but by pushing Manchester City to the final day, they made it clear that they weren’t going away anytime soon.

So, it’s going to be a big summer for the Gunners as they look to bridge that ever-decreasing gap to the champions.

While incoming transfers are sure to dominate the headlines, like the failed move for Benjamin Šeško, Edu Gaspar and Co look set to shift several players, one of whom earns more than the Slovenian – even after his new deal.

Arsenal transfer news

According to journalist Ben Jacobs via GIVEMESPORT, Arsenal are looking to sell several squad players this summer, and English striker Eddie Nketiah is near the top of that list.

Jacobs has revealed that the 25-year-old is still on Crystal Palace’s radar and that the Gunners expect to receive around £30m to £35m for the player.

However, depending on how the striker market shapes up this summer and how much players like Armando Broja go for, the North Londoners could ask for even more, safe in the knowledge that the 25-year-old is contracted until 2027 and unlikely to see his price come down.

If Edu and Co can shift the Lewisham-born forward for a fee that high, then they will have done a fantastic job. Despite flashes of brilliance here and there, he hasn’t justified his place at Arsenal, and he certainly hasn’t justified his hefty wage.

Eddie Nketiah’s wage

Nketiah joined Arsenal as a youngster following his release from Chelsea for being too small, and since his first team debut against Bate Borisov in a 2017 Europa League clash, he has made 168 total appearances for the Gunners.

In those appearances, he’s returned a somewhat underwhelming tally of 38 goals and seven assists, meaning he has averaged a goal involvement every 3.73 games, which just isn’t good enough for a striker in a title-chasing side, even as a substitute.

However, after enjoying a particularly impressive run of games at the back end of the 2021/22 campaign, in which he scored five goals in seven league games, he was rewarded with a new £100k-per-week deal in a move which was likely more about protecting his value over anything else.

However, this contract means he is earning more than the Club‘s most recent striker target, Šeško, who, even after just agreeing to a new deal, is on less than the Englishman – £94k-per-week, to be exact.

This means that when combining his £11.2m career earnings at the start of this season with the 52 weeks of wages he’s received since he’s cost the Club a whopping £16.4m to date.

That breaks down to around £97k-per-appearance, £431k-per-goal, or £2.3m-per-assist – talk about value for money.

Ultimately, Nketiah has had plenty of opportunities to prove himself by now, and while he’s shown glimpses of brilliance here and there, he’s not of the standard required to take Arsenal forward next season. Therefore, if Edu can get his £100k-per-week wages off the books this summer, he should do so, especially for £35m.

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