‘I don’t understand’… Michail Antonio says Arsenal would struggle to sell 25-year-old player for a profit now

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Transfer fees have become utterly ridiculous in recent years.

Half-decent players are now moving for upwards of £70m on a regular basis, and it’s hard to really put your finger on what any player is worth now.

Many clubs have started to buy young in order to bring in a player with potential resale value, but that strategy often doesn’t work according to Michail Antonio.

Indeed, speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast, Antonio noted how hard it is for any top six team to sell a player for profit these days to the likes of Real Madrid or Barcelona as they are already paying a premium on their talents – naming the likes of Declan Rice and Rasmus Hojlund as examples from this summer.

Arsenal would struggle to make profit on Declan Rice

Antonio gave his verdict on the current state of transfer market while using Arsenal’s star man as an example.

“Think about it, what would Real Madrid pay for Haaland? That one was luck, they got him for £60m, and he’ll go for about £120m. But let’s talk about someone like Dec. Dec is 25, let’s say he wanted to go to Real Madrid, Arsenal have already paid £105. Hojlund, how much did United pay for him? £70m? The maximum they would get now is £80, 90 100m. I don’t understand top six clubs doing it, they are already paying premium prices, anyone selling to them want the most and that’s what they’re going to do,” Antonio said.

Not why Declan Rice was signed

We do get what Antonio is saying here, but Rice is probably a bad example to use.

Rice wasn’t signed by Arsenal because of his potential resale value. He was signed to be the finished product to help the team win the league.

Rasmus Hojlund may well have been signed by Manchester United with the idea of selling him on in a few years in mind, but at £72m, turning a profit will be difficult, but in Rice’s case, Arsenal probably expect him to see out most of his career at the Emirates now.

Antonio’s point about the wider transfer market are spot on, but he’s not using the best of examples here.