£105m is an overpay.
I’m not losing sleep over it, though. I think it’s an extremely low risk purchase, we know exactly what we’re getting and I think it’s an important cog of our midfield sorted for the next decade or so. Odegaard and Rice are a superb two thirds of a dominant midfield trio: both young and tied (imminently) to long contracts. Extremely happy with that business.
I expect Arteta to bring him on further than what we’ve seen, as well. I’m not sure how he’s viewed by the wider footballing community but I think Arteta has near universally won the Arsenal fanbase over and has our trust, not only in handling the club but in the development of players on an individual basis.
Thats the resounding sentiment I have when speaking with Gooner pals. Questions are posed: Havertz, really? Rice, £105m? Most will shrug their shoulders and say they trust Artetas judgement.
What a difference twelve months make, eh?
With respect to salary I think paying Saka has proven we're willing to pay the going rate for what we view elite talents. I expect Odegaard to receive a similar contract this Summer. Rice is allegedly going to be on £250k/wk. After the "Great Purge" our wages are around £150/170m less than our competition, that's a lot of upward movement to push into when renegotiating these young players contracts and signing new talent. I suspect there's a glass ceiling to what we can do, but we're not there yet.