The news that Sokratis Papastathopoulos has had his contracted cancelled by Arsenal adds another few zeros to the amount of money wasted by the club in recent years.
The Greek international defender joined the Gunners from Borussia Dortmund in 2018 and he went on to make 69 appearances in all competitions.
As highlighted by respected journalist Charles Watts, Arsenal have thrown away a staggering amount of money on players over the past few years.
By the summer Arsenal will have let go Sanchez, Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla, Wilshere, Sokratis, Mustafi, Mkhitaryan and Welbeck in the past three years
Money spent on fees: £190m
Money received: £0 pic.twitter.com/7CzJsbw6ZR— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) January 20, 2021
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It is fair to say that buying and selling players can be a tricky business, and very few clubs get it right all the time.
However, Arsenal’s transfer policy over the past few years has left a lot to be desired, costing the club a significant amount of money.
Most of the names in Watts’ tweet read like a ‘who’s who’ of either failure, extravagance or downright bad decision making.
As things stand, the jury remains out as to whether Arsenal are now on the right track with their transfer dealings.
The likes of Thomas Partey and Gabriel appear to be solid acquisitions, but Willian’s arrival from Chelsea is already looking like another expensive mistake.
Having wasted so much money in recent years, Arsenal will undoubtedly be hoping that youngsters such as Emile Smith Rowe, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli can continue their progression.
Their emergence could save Arsenal millions of pounds in the transfer market and help to soften the blow of some of the club’s previous errors.
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