Arsenal have been branded as “Banter FC” by former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara ahead of completing two further transfers this week.
The Gunners are set to clinch a double deal for Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale and playmaker Martin Odegaard from Real Madrid this week, with both deals imminent.
The moves have been blasted by former Spurs midfielder O’Hara, who claims that the club are spending lavishly ‘on a B team’ this summer as their busy transfer window continues.
Arsenal have already spent heavily this summer with central defender Ben White their most expensive signing to date, joining from Brighton in a £50million deal.
Belgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga has arrived from Anderlecht while Portuguese full-back Nuno Tavares has signed from Benfica, meaning that the club’s summer spending already stands at £76million prior to this week’s deals.
“They are Banter FC right now,” O’Hara proclaimed on talkSPORT . “They are Banter FC!
“If they sign Odegaard and Ramsdale, along with Ben White, Tavares and Lokonga, they will have spent £135m this summer on a B team. Is their team any better than it was last season?”
Goalkeeper Ramsdale has been relegated from the Premier League in successive campaigns with Bournemouth and Sheffield United respectively but is now on the brink of a move to North London.
Ramsdale is expected to provide competition for the goalkeeper’s position with Bernd Leno, who has been first choice at the Emirates since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2018.
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A deal is thought to be agreed for an initial £20million alongside £4million in add-ons for the goalkeeper, who was a non-playing member of England’s squad at Euro 2020.
Blades boss Slavisa Jokanovic said after his side’s four-goal loss at West Brom on Wednesday: “The deal is not complete but it’s agreed between the clubs. I believe the agreement is close to being done.
“It’s not really what I want but it’s difficult to stop this kind of situation. It’s a huge deal for the club.”
Odegaard spent the second half of last season on loan at the Gunners from Real Madrid and is now set for a permanent move in the region of £30million.
Arsenal - who last season failed to qualify for European football for the first time in 25 years - began this campaign in the worst possible way as they crashed to a two-goal defeat at Brentford last Friday.
Mikel Arteta said after the game: “I’m disappointed. We started the season against a good opponent. I don’t think we deserved anything different.
“They scored from a long throw-in and we didn’t have enough presence in the box. The first goal gave them some hope. We wanted to play better in the second half but we need many more shots on target, then we conceded on a set-piece.
“A lot of young boys were doing everything they can. For some of them it was the first experience in the league – that says a lot. What I can control and help, I’ll put all my enthusiasm and work into that.”
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