Why Arsenal must drop their fascination with buy-back clauses

Arsenal’s transfer activity has taken a refreshingly different turn of late, with a particular clause dominating their recent rumours, rather than any one player.

So often the same players are fed through the mill with such regularity that any excitement over their potential arrival can become stale quite quickly.

It’s been quite re-energising, then, to see Arsenal gossip revolve around a buy-back clause recently, a contract stipulation that lets the selling club re-purchase their outgoing player for a knock-down price at some point in the future.

Sometimes though, like lime cordial, refreshment isn’t always very tasty and as far as the Gunners are concerned, their new attraction to the buy-back should be nipped in the bud.

The north London club, who are 9/1 to win next season’s Premier League, have got themselves involved in these clauses on both sides of the bargain and neither are particularly inspiring.

Firstly, it’s thought that Arsene Wenger wants to exercise his right to bring former Gunners front-man Carlos Vela back to the club by activating the player’s £3.5m trigger at Real Sociedad.

Having never managed to score more than three goals in any of the three seasons he spent in this country between 2008 and 2011, it’s difficult to imagine the appeal the French fourth-place specialist sees in reuniting with the Mexican.

42 league goals in 107 appearances for his current Spanish club point to a more matured player, yet there are surely better options available in the market.

Conversely, the club are considering entering into a similar arrangement with Real Madrid in order to land Alvaro Morata at a cheaper price.

Factoring in a re-purchase agreement would drop the 21-year-old’s tag to between £14m and £20m, but for an extra £4.1m the player could be Arsenal’s permanently.

That would negate any fears of Los Blancos nabbing the player back should he blossom, but would need Wenger to shake off his seemingly returned Scrooge mentality first.

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