Charlie Nicholas questions Mikel Arteta over William Saliba and Granit Xhaka

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Arsenal's transfer business may have been defended by technical director Edu this weekend, but Charlie Nicholas has picked out two decisions that could prove to be mistakes.

With Nuno Tavares, Albert Sambi Lokonga, Ben White, Martin Odegaard, Aaron Ramsdale and Takehiro Tomiyasu all joining the club on permanent deals – there were also new contracts and loan agreements.

With Granit Xhaka's deal now running until the summer of 2024, the likes of William Saliba, Matteo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira and Reiss Nelson have been sent out on temporary deals.

The decision regarding Saliba has received the most backlash, with many supporters and ex-players believing that he would be an improvement on their first-team options, as does Nicholas.

On the new Where’s Jeff podcast that also includes Phil Thompson and Matt Le Tissier, Nicholas said of Xhaka: "He did what he’s always done. He played the joker card. He is the joker of our club.

"How he can manipulate Roma into paying £17m… I would’ve personally dropped him off there… And then he signs a new contract.

"When you look at the so-called captain in Xhaka, that’s a cop-out. It was an absolute camouflage [the red card] and it just sums everything up about that football club."

Were Arsenal right to loan out William Saliba? Give us your thoughts in the comments section

Adding when asked about Mikel Arteta: "I don’t think the crowd want him to stay. I think he’s got the right philosophy but if you don’t have the personnel…

"Look, why would you sign Saliba and then send him out on loan when you have awful defenders at the club?

"I think the fans already want him out. I think they will give him until Christmas but I think the fans have made up their mind."

Technical director Edu told Sky Sports News after being told that fans were underwhelmed at some of the deals: "Yes, I understand the reason because firstly, they have not seen the team playing together yet.

"That's one of the reasons but I think we have to see the wider context than just to see the money around it. We signed six players who are under 23, which means a lot in terms of our planning.

"Normally, people like to see just one window, so I have to say it is the bigger picture because we started planning this squad a year ago in terms of consolidating the team and to try to get a better foundation.

"If you remember, in that period we renewed Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli a year ago with the intention to get that kind of base in the team."

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