Wenger Has £115M To Reinvest …He Should Do It Or Quit
Arsene Wenger has criticised the free spending of Premier League rivals Chelsea and Manchester City as well as oil rich Paris Saint Germain.
Speaking during Arsenal’s pre-season tour of Asia, the money conscious boss told the Daily Mail that big spending clubs were to the detriment of football.
Wenger also said that he expects the current European financial crisis to affect football and urged clubs to take greater responsibility for their finances.
The Frenchman has again reiterated the fact that while he wants to bring success to the Emirates, he will not put the Arsenal in financial trouble in order to do so.
Wenger’s warning is a timely reminder given the demise of Rangers. Despite failing to win a trophy for seven years the Arsenal boss is to be commended for his refreshing attitude towards the business side of the game.
That said, it has been seven long years for Arsenal fans and it is hard for people not to claim Wenger’s repeated lamenting of the financial disparity in the Premier League are nothing more than excuses for a lack of success. Furthermore, the lack of trophies has been exacerbated by the sales of key players Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasir and the expected departure of Robin Van Persie.
Arsenal’s spending power was capped significantly by the costs of the Emirates Stadium. Yet at the end of last season The Telegraph revealed that the club has now significantly reduced their debt.
With this in mind and the reported £115 million that the Gunners have in reserve Wenger now needs to start spending the sort of money that will see a return of success.
£17 million Santi Cazorla is expected to join Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski as the latest of Wenger’s signings, taking this summer’s spending up to £39 million.
It is certainly a signal of intent from Wenger and one which should satisfy Arsenal fans. Whether this is enough to bring success this season remains to be seen. However it’s a trend that needs to continue if the Gunners are to maintain pace with the likes of City and Chelsea.
Admittedly Arsenal don’t have excessively rich benefactors like Sheik Mansour and Roman Abramovich, but they are also more financially secure.
It looks as if Wenger will continue to have a transfer kitty that allows him to compete with Europe’s elite and it is vital that he uses it. With increased spending it is certain that Arsenal will see their trophy drought end. But if Wenger fails to do so then while he should be respected for advocating financial stability, he risks it becoming a very obvious excuse for a lack of success.
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August 4th, 2012
arsenal are certainly a better run club than the scum who run / own man*hitty and the chavs
August 6th, 2012
Arsenal are running better backwards than most clubs.
August 4th, 2012
If he has that amount,please get some quality and experienced players who can play in the senior team. Yeah winning trophies in five years time is important,but if you don’t win them now forget about the future.
August 4th, 2012
“Admittedly Arsenal don’t have excessively rich benefactors like Sheik Mansour and Roman Abramovich” Erm..so Kroenke and Usmanov are a pair of penniless bums then are they?
August 4th, 2012
In relative terms Mansour and Abramovich are in a position to lend their clubs more money. Hence there increased transfer spending.
August 4th, 2012
Correct.
August 4th, 2012
No they have money for one Kroenke wont put his own money into the club and secondly usmanov isn’t on the board he cant do anything. so all the money we have comes from ticket sales player sales advertisement and the likes. We have nobody to put in 200million like chelsea and man city
August 4th, 2012
Sorry but there is not £115 million available to Wenger for transfers. If you go back to the source of that “statement” (the Daily Mail), it states that some of the money has to pay for existing expenses and some has to be kept in reserve for unforeseen eventualities (missing out on the CL, perhaps). Yes, there is money available for transfers and some has or will soon be spent. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and demand huge spending.
August 4th, 2012
we have shown massive improvement this transfer window just a couple of more signings.then go prepare the trophy room come may next year.
August 4th, 2012
What a stupid headline, I am hoping the author is not an arsenal fan.
August 4th, 2012
It’s not an excuse – it’s the way the Arsenal does things. The right way. They spend what we can. They’re a sustainable club, not a toy for the rich. I don’t understand Arsenal fans. If I were a Gooner I would be proud that the club I support is trying to do the right thing despite the opposition. Sigh, this is a world gone mad, when the righteous is condemned while the rich who spectacularly spend their money in vain things are lauded.
August 4th, 2012
The majority of Arsenal fans is very happy with the club being run as a sustainable business. Only a, vocal, minority for who trophies are more important than the club is not. Every club has his ‘not very clever’ share of supporters.
August 4th, 2012
Very well said. And why is it I always seem to be sat next to one of the ‘not very clever’ fans…?
August 4th, 2012
Dickhead!
August 4th, 2012
I make you right.
August 4th, 2012
Exactly right John. Half of these fans are only jealous of the amount being spent. If they took one minute to have a look at what it has been spent on, they’d think again. Once we have enough money in reserve to cover the remainder of the stadium loan, we can start spending a bit more adventurously, in the mean time we are right to prepare for the worst and hope for the best as we never know what is round the corner. With the way the refs seem to have a vendetta against us, anything could happen.
August 4th, 2012
I dont think it’s an excuse – it’s just the way Arsenal does things. The right way. They spend what we can. They’re a sustainable club, not a toy for the rich. I don’t understand Arsenal fans. If I were a Gooner I would be proud that the club I support is trying to do the right thing despite the opposition. Sigh, this is a world gone mad, when the righteous is condemned while the rich who spectacularly spend their money – in vain, in front of your faces – are lauded.
August 4th, 2012
@ Hook… I totally agree with every word you say above.. High praise indeed from a person who states they are NOT a Gooner.
August 4th, 2012
Can someone please tell how he will manage arsenal, our resource is limited, malaga are busy treating their wound and arsenal been so watchfull grab the opportunity of signing santi(90%), kanu club won the FA cup and we never heard of them again, people should think please, its painful to see people not utilising their little resources.
August 4th, 2012
How did you work out we have £115m to spend?? so many idiots writing posts about Arsenal and the lack of spend. I do not understand why paying over the odds for average players would satisfy people? E.g. Dzeko we were interested in, but is he worth 27m? No… Giroud and Podolski combined 27m? Yes!!!