Arteta warns Arsenal against selling players simply to raise funds

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says the club must be careful not to sell players purely to improve its financial figures as the transfer window approaches its Tuesday night deadline.

The Gunners have found it difficult to create significant movement in their departures this off-season, despite placing greater emphasis on matching recruitment spending with income from player sales.

Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira are among those who could still leave before the window closes, although Gabriel Martinelli remains Arsenal’s most significant outgoing deal of the summer.

The Brazil forward moved to Al-Hilal in a club-record sale, while Reiss Nelson has also departed after Arsenal agreed to terminate his contract by mutual consent. The decision was taken after the club concluded there was little meaningful interest in the winger and it also helped reduce the wage bill.

Arteta accepts Arsenal are working towards a self-sustaining financial model, but says the club cannot allow that objective to dictate every transfer decision.

His comments come after Arsenal spent more than £250m last off-season while bringing in only about £10m from player sales.

“That’s what we are trying to get as a club but the balance has to be right,” Arteta said.

“There are areas that we have to improve to hit those numbers. And if it’s not with sales, because maybe we don’t want… We have to sell what we want to sell as well, not just to sell.

“And then when we want to sell as well, we have to be very careful because some of the assets, after maybe they grow and we still want them.

“So maybe we can grow in other areas across the club as well. And commercially, we’ve done incredible. The fan base that we have is incredible. Our mass revenue is incredible. And there are other ways to grow and that’s the club’s strategy.

“But we want to improve in all of them, obviously, because it’s going to give us a bigger room to be stronger financially.”

Arsenal’s approach has therefore been shaped by two competing priorities: maintaining financial strength while ensuring any departures make sense for the squad.

Arteta’s warning suggests the club does not want to lose players whose value could increase or who may still have a role in the team, even if selling them would provide an immediate financial benefit.

The manager also pointed to the club’s commercial performance and the strength of its support as areas capable of generating further growth. He said Arsenal’s fan base and overall revenue provide alternative ways to improve its financial position alongside player trading.

With the deadline nearing, Jesus and Vieira remain among the players who could leave, but Arteta’s comments indicate that Arsenal will not agree to sales simply to increase its transfer income.

The club’s biggest confirmed deal remains Martinelli’s record move to Al-Hilal, while Nelson’s exit was completed without a transfer fee after Arsenal decided that ending his contract was the most practical solution in the circumstances.

By SABC Sport 31 August 2026