Arsenal struck gold on “wizard” worth more than Nelson & Nketiah combined

There are less than two weeks remaining of the summer transfer window and, as things stand, it feels like Arsenal still have a lot to do.

Mikel Arteta has only welcomed one new face to the first team in Riccardo Calafiori thus far, although recent reports indicate that Mikel Merino should be joining the team very soon.

It’s not just incomings that need to be sorted out before the window closes, though, as both Eddie Nketiah and Reiss Nelson continue to be touted for an exit, although the links for the former are far more robust at present.

The two Hale Enders have been on the team’s periphery for some time now, although it does look like the club could make a significant amount of money on their sales. However, even when combined, their fees won’t even come close to the valuation of one of Arteta’s best signings in North London.

The latest on Nketiah and Nelson

It’s been a wild couple of weeks for Nketiah, as it looked like he would be joining Roberto de Zerbi at Marseille just a week ago, only for Arsenal to turn down their final offer, which amounted to around £25m.

Since that move fell apart, Nottingham Forest have emerged as the team that look most likely to sign the Englishman, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein reporting on Monday that the Gunners had also turned down their offer of around £25m including add-ons.

However, Ornstein has claimed that negotiations are ongoing between the two sides, with the Gunners sticking to their valuation of between £30m and £35m for the striker.

Now, when it comes to Nelson, things are a little less clear beyond the fact that the North Londoners are looking to sell him this summer.

At the moment, it looks like Leicester City have maintained their interest in him, but according to the Telegraph, his wages are currently proving to be a stumbling block.

If he were to be sold, it would likely be for his £20m valuation, meaning that if the Gunners were able to get exactly what they wanted for the two attackers, they would earn a cool £55m, and while that’s a lot of money, it pales in comparison to the valuation of one of Arteta’s best signings to date.

Martin Odegaard’s valuation in 2024

The signing in question is Martin Odegaard, who completed his £34m move to the club in the summer of 2021 after impressing on loan six months prior.

Since then, he has only gone from strength to strength and now, according to the CIES Football Observatory, is worth up to a staggering €117m, which converts to about £100m, or at least £45m more than the combined valuations of Nketiah and Nelson.

It’s an entirely justified valuation as well because, alongside his incredible skill and ability, he’s become a real leader on the pitch, earning the captain’s armband just a year after signing.