It will only be of limited consolation to those Arsenal fans concerned at the club's lack of spending this summer to learn that Arsene Wenger has permission to spend £30m on a single player. The unsaid confirmation from the club's second-largest shareholder yesterday was that Wenger is determined to pursue success the cheap way.
The Arsenal manager declared in a recent interview that it was his intention to 'make success, not buy it', and that determination has caused the Frenchman to reject an open invitation from the club's board to match the excesses of Chelsea and Manchester United in the transfer market. Rejecting the suggestion that Arsenal's finances were in a parlous state, Danny Fiszman assured reporters attending the Champions League draw in Monaco that it would be "no problem" for Wenger to spend even £30m on a single new recruit. The only problem, some Arsenal fans might conclude, is their manager's refusal to consider the idea.
"If he said to us 'I want this guy and he's £30m, can I buy him?' the answer is yes. Absolutely yes," Fiszman confirmed. "We totally back him. It's his decision."
"There were great hopes that we would buy heavily this summer. But I would refute that we have not bought well. Nasri has two goals in two games at the Emirates Stadium, and if Arsène could find the right player, he would buy again, but he hasn't."
Fiszman was particularly indignant when reminded reports of Wenger that was
being constrained by the cost of building the Gunners' Emirates Stadium.
"I hear all the time that we have no money, but I just wish someone would take the time to look at our accounts. This is a proper business which produces its own cash and lives or dies by its performances. Our net payments are £20 million and the revenue increase from the new stadium is close to £50 million. Explain to me how that stadium is a drain on the club, when it produces an extra £30 million a year.
"This constant suggestion that the stadium is bleeding us dry is crap. The reality is our wage bill is very similar to Manchester United, substantially above Liverpool and substantially below Chelsea - but that is to be expected. We pay good salaries, but we pay them more evenly, so we do not have extremes of very high and very low wage-earners. There is an ethos of a team effort."
Wenger's ethos has also been to introduce young talent, an outlook that Fiszman believes is causing the Frenchman to resist the temptation to spend big.
"There's a dual problem for him. If we were to buy names, you are talking about relatively mature players who need to be integrated into the way Arsène plays. They don't know our style and it also impacts on the youngsters who've been brought through, and in many cases Arsène thinks it is quicker for us to bring a player through our system."
Your Comments
northbank1
"Vincdgud, you my friend symbolises all that is wrong with this game that I love. Assuming (mainly because of your bad grammer) you are a Chavski fan,can you please clarify what you mean by 'betters'? You see I'm just a little confused and that's probably to do with the fact that i can remember football when it was played pre-abramovich. Manure I can accept - but Chavski, hell no! If I am correct only two clubs in this country have won more league titles than Arsenal and only one has won more FA cups, and guess what neither of them are Chavski. I also believe we've won more in Europe (the Fair's Cup was the name of the UEFA Cup before UEFA was established). I don't understand why people who were probably watching speedway, or got directed to this site whilst looking for foxy bingo would post such bile.....as for drunkenmaster, you are a spud fraud and i for one am not fooled by your disguise....just out of interest would this s**te 4-5-1 be the same formation that saw us to the champs league final (and that was with Super 14 just to clarify)? Don't get me wrong Adebayor behaved like a c*nt this summer but then again he's not the 1st and I doubt he'll be the last. Last season we probably could have done with a little help from our midfielders with the odd goal or two but alas it wasn't to be. No doubt you'll be singing the two arsenal songs you know in May when we're crowned champions....I wish b!tch supporters like you would feck-off and support Chavki , Manure or whoever else looks like they've got the most expensive squad - JOKE! "
dehya
"vincdgud - you're right, I am informed, thanks!... can't wait to see your forthcoming CL attendance against CFR Cluj, maybe you'll scrape 20K into that sh*t stadium of yours - sh*t fans , sh*t club, no history, no class. Not bitter brethren - merely better, and (a)pathetic to your plastic little kremlin clubs' inevitable collapse."
ggammer
"I am fully behind Wengers policy to "make success, not buy it". For me the Arsene Wenger story has been a brilliant read so far and continues to keep me enthralled. Last year these young stars in the making were actually going to do it. Half way through the season we were cruising. It was amazing as Fabregas, Toure, Flamini, Hleb, Clichy, Adebayor Van Persie and Da Silva were actually doing the business. Suddenly though, it all went mental. Da Silva's leg got snapped if half, Gallas started crying and Wenger said silly stuff about the guy who inflicted the leg break. And here we are, two games into the new season and Arsene is "losing the plot". People are "losing patience" with his refusal to "open his cheque book". Hleb was replaced by Nasri. Replacing Flamini is seen as the big problem. What did Flamini do that made him so irreplaceable? He could tackle and run forever. He was technically good enough to pass and get the occasional goal. That doesn¿t sound too difficult to replace, so what's the problem? Wenger has built his team based on loyalty and potential. If he suddenly goes out and buys in a player in a position that he has players in the squad capable of filling, it goes against what he has been preaching for the past five years. All those promising youngsters would start to think that they may as well move on as they are not going to get their chance after all. Also, if we bring in the "experienced" guy people are calling for then we have to pay a big fee and big wages with no guarantee that we can win the trophies everybody is so keen to for us to win. So, Wenger is saying "only the right player" and I have to agree. I don't want him to buy Barry or Alonso. Maybe Eboue, Denilson, Biscoff can be the new Flamini. Or someone else from a different position. Whoever it turns out to be the Wenger story goes on and I am loving every minute of it."
Ozzieafc
"THE CREMSTER! enough said! "
suchagooner
"remello learn to spell before you waste your time writing such a long, boring comment. spak..."
remelleo
"Hi all real Arsenal fans, I would like to say first off what a brilliant job the flying Frenchman is achieving for Arsenal football club. The problem with football today is, it¿s extremely hard to buy a descent team let a lone a squad with the current fees and wage demands for players. I would also like to say the Flying Frenchman is probably one of the best managers and successful Arsenal has ever had. I don¿t always agree with his decision but he has proved time and time again that he is trustworthy and he knows what he is doing. What I find hard to believe is once again the premiership has just started and everyone is all ready writing Arsenal off. On paper we don¿t have a first team as good as Manchester united or Chelsea, however if you study Mr Wenger you will know he can perform remarkable miracles with a young team. Too me football is not about experience players but about individual and team talent. Just because someone is 17 this does not mean that they can¿t play on the big stage and perform for their club. I agree we need to strengthen the midfield and defiantly up front but at the same time I know we have brought a few players this season and I know I personally have yet to see them in a Arsenal shirt. I have faith in the flying Frenchman, but I don¿t want to see another embarrassing performance like last years carling cup. "
drunkenmaster
"We don't have to buy in an expensive player, I don't feel the need to have a established name either. How well known the name is doesn't change how good the player is, Fabregas wasn't well known previously and now one of the worlds best. But we do need to strengthen, we have one very serious unlucky injury, and Rosicky, RVP, Diaby, Djourou(ish), who are always always getting injured so thats minimum of 4 players who you simply can't rely on. Wengers issue is balls and lack of them, getting shot of Ade for loads and buying in a better quality player. Arsenal DIDN'T play the best football last year, every year we don't win anything Wenger is playing more and more conservative teams. Before we lost the 50 game unbeaten run the very idea, the possibility of us playing a 4-5-1 with a tall idiot upfront was not even in his mind nor any arsenal fans. Now I 100% expect a 4-5-1 with a useless, paceless unable to hold it up clutz upfront anytime we go away from home now, and even at home. Last season was the first time we played 1 upfront, defensively minded in the last 8-10 years, at home and consistantly. Check the stats of the last 4-5 games in the season last year, and the few games Adebayor has played this year, look at the shots made total, ADebayor's shots on goal specifically and shots on target of the whole team. Its been absolutely pathetic. We spent all last year dominating almost every team in midfield, easily keeping posession but in the final third we had dozens of games where we barely created a single chance, in cups, and end of season this showed. We play worse football year after year since the 50 was lost, Wenger is a scared little girl now and plays more defensively, more 4-5-1's and out and out scorers every year. We don't really need new players though, just a mentality change, ade dropped and 4-5-1 abolished."
vincdgud
" i think Arsene Wenger(Monsieur Jacques Whinger on any other day) does have a point in refusing to pay crazy money for some clearly average players, however what i find strange, to say the least, is his stubborn refusal to make any major acquisitions during the transfer window despite his glaring need for some experienced and established players in the team, even when he has the board's-his employers mind you- go ahead to go shopping on their account,instead insisting on the same experiment that has failed consistently for five years running. Having said that, let me address some of you muppets who have a habit of slating of your betters-whether you like it or not, right now there are just two teams capable of winning the Prem and those are Manure(much as hate to say it) and of course Chelsea. Hooverdoggy you say it hasn't done you any harm, yet you complain of your inability to compete for the Prem, funny that wouldn't you say as for you Craglerock82, Liliput(read Liverpool) have always had money to spend on transfers, but your goateed manager prefers to use same to buy crap players, so tell me is that any wiser than Chelsea spending so much on one player?, i mean look at it this way, we spend a load of cash buying an established player who just happens not to measure up and then you guys spend a lot of cash buying some a lot of mediocre players who, unsurprisingly don't measure up. Young poor poor sod! my advice is to remove the forest blocking your view before addressing the hedge in my path, end of. And My Dear Mr dehya, you are just a pathetic, bitter and informed little man. And on a final note, i hope Moniseur Jacques Whinger's stubborness persisits, at least that way we'll know the compettition is narrowed down to just Manure...liliput don't really count as competition, they are just ther to make up the numbers."
aanan
"The squad is almost complete but Arsene seems to want to win the title race with a challenge If we got in one more experienced midfielder we should coast to the title ....and knowing the prof I wouldnt write off a super late signing ....Arsene Knows "
01ea27
"Going to keep winning those titles Mr Wenger with eboue in the middle lol"
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