Arsenal: Emery struck gold by making £35m profit on “horrendous” Gunners dud
Arsenal aren’t renowned for pulling off profitable sales, however one departure was the perfect move for the Gunners.
Arsenal have seen an abundance of talent grace the pitch of the Emirates over the years, however not all players have impressed to the standard suggested by their price tags.
Not many deals worked out as poorly as the fate of Nicolas Pepe, who was purchased for £72m in 2019 and exited on a free transfer to Trabzonspor this summer, however the Gunners have also found a way to benefit financially from poor performers too.
While Unai Emery’s time in north London was tarnished by Arsenal’s form that led to his dismissal, the Aston Villa manager struck gold during his time at the club, selling one of his underperformers for a huge profit in 2019.
When did Arsenal sell Alex Iwobi?
During the summer transfer window of Emery’s final year in charge of the Gunners, the Spaniard offloaded academy graduate Alex Iwobi to Everton.
The Nigerian, who had been at Arsenal for 15 years after joining as an eight-year-old, signed for the Toffees on a five-year deal at the age of 23, with the Blues paying £35m for his services.
After four years and 140 appearances for Everton, Iwobi was on the move again, signing for Fulham this summer in a deal worth £22m, reinforcing the success of Emery’s sale as the 27-year-old’s worth has dropped.
How much is Alex Iwobi worth now?
Today, the Hale End graduate has a market value of just €20m (£17m), as per CIES Football Observatory, suggesting that Arsenal offloaded him at the perfect time with his trajectory taking an underwhelming turn.
Emery’s £35m profit on the winger has been one of the best pieces of business that the Gunners have completed with regard to departures, especially when reviewing just how poor the Lagos-born dud was over the years in north London.
Were Arsenal right to sell Alex Iwobi?
Prior to his exit, the versatile midfielder had secured 149 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring on just 15 occasions during that span, with his highest-scoring tally being the six goals he scored in all competitions in the 2018/19 campaign.
It looked as though the winger could be the next big thing at Arsenal, as he scored on his full league debut and in the fixture after, setting the tone for what could’ve been the start of something special at the Emirates.
While at times the winger showed encouraging signs of his quality, his end product and inability to keep possession let him down, with journalist James Benge once dubbing the 27-year-old as “horrendous”.
| Alex Iwobi’s Premier League scoring record at Arsenal | ||
| Appearances | Goals | |
| 2018/19 | 35 | 3 |
| 2017/18 | 26 | 3 |
| 2016/17 | 26 | 3 |
| 2015/16 | 13 | 2 |
| Figures via Transfermarkt | ||
As for his goal contributions, the highest number of goals that the Nigerian secured in a Premier League season while at Arsenal was three, which he achieved in three consecutive campaigns with no improvement, as highlighted above.
His low-scoring feat continued beyond his time in the capital, as he netted six times in 123 appearances in the league for Everton, reinforcing how poor he can be in the final third despite taking up an advanced role.
By securing £35m for the frustrating £70k-per-week winger, Emery was able to relieve Arsenal of some deadwood, while making a monstrous profit on an academy star that continues to try and grasp form in the Premier League eight years after his debut.
