'Madness': Agent says Edu's bold July 2021 decision could cost him his Arsenal job

By Shamanth Jayaram

The Athletic spoke to a number of agents about the summer transfer window and many of them are in agreement that Arsenal were the Premier League’s worst spenders.

The Gunners splashed more cash than any other club in the country. Mikel Arteta was backed by the Kroenkes after a terrible campaign last time out, but many in the footballing world aren’t convinced by some of Edu Gaspar’s moves.

The biggest criticism the Arsenal director has received is for his decision to spend £50million on Ben White in July. That raised many eyebrows as the Englishman had only played one year in the Premier League before his move.

An agent, who has not been named, has lashed out at Edu for meeting Brighton’s mammoth demands. He has boldly claimed that decisions like this will cost the Brazilian his job at Arsenal.

Agent: Edu paid over the odds for Ben White

The unnamed agent told The Athletic: “I know the English market is frightening, but that’s way too much money. The purchase of Ben White for £50 million.

“This was a one-horse race for a player with only one season in the Premier League under his belt. Yet still, Arsenal managed to pay over the odds.

“The deal was made to look worse by Manchester United, who managed to secure serial Champions League winner Raphael Varane for considerably less. Madness at the Emirates and the sort of decision-making that will cost Edu his job.”

Is White worth £50m?

Well, the simple answer is no. Don’t get us wrong, the Englishman is a fantastic footballer, but he only had two considerable years of experience before he joined Arsenal – a season with Leeds in the Championship and last year at Brighton.

£50 million for a player with that little experience is an outrageous amount to pay. However, if White, still only 23, goes on to be a mainstay in Arsenal’s defence for the next 10 years, everybody will look back at the deal and say he was worth every penny.

The unnamed agent has a point, decisions like this could cost Edu his job, but only if they backfire. Thankfully for the Brazilian, it’s going good at the moment, and he will be hoping that White can fulfil his massive potential at the Emirates in the coming years.