It might be a common theme among many Arsenal fans this morning who are mixing a sense of dread with a little bit of excitement regarding Arsene Wenger’s latest comments about Eden Hazard. Excitement, in fact, may be too optimistic; intrigue might be more appropriate. Wenger is never one to openly admit he is after a player, rather looking to take a diplomatic route in respecting a player’s club and making positive comments from afar. But Wenger has a least given some light to Arsenal’s financial state, insisting that the club needed to make between £15-20 million profit each season. What he was not clear on is how and whether if affects the club’s position in the transfer market.
It’s a welcome stance that Arsene Wenger has decided to take, if only for a very disappointing revelation. Someone from the club, who the supporters can trust, has given an indication that the club may not be in the position many would have hoped following the move to the Emirates. Players such as Eden Hazard may actually be a little out of reach and players who are on the third or fourth tier in terms of quality may be all the club can hope to bring in for the foreseeable future.
Again, it’s not entirely clear what Wenger is referring to when he says the club need to make a profit. He specifically points out that it’s the duty of the manager to determine a fair price for targets, which means he may be looking for real quality as many rumours suggest, but they are likely just out of the club’s spending range. From Wenger’s position at least, his statement will likely buy him some time. He is absolutely correct in giving fans a little bit of clarification on why he refused to spend in January—one of the reasons so much vitriol has emerged recently. Instead, the supporters’ anger should now be wholly deflected onto the board, who have seemingly put the club in this very weak position financially.
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The problem again, however, is what the board have said in recent times, specifically Ivan Gazidis; saying that the club do give Wenger sole power of the expenditure at the club and would never deny him the funds to buy a player he needs. The summer activity suggest nothing of the sort and it clearly indicates that something is not right at the club. Why were the club so slow to get a deal done for Juan Mata, and then only at the last minute decide to go on a spending spree on players who may not have been desirable at the start of the summer? The is still too much uncertainty surrounding what Wenger has said and contrasts greatly with the board’s apparent unconditional financial support for the manager.
Does this mean Wenger is the only one paying any real attention to the Financial Fair Play ruling of Uefa? Is he referring to the Champions League income and in turn mean it is “imperative” for the club to finish in the top four? Perhaps he’s too over cautious in regards to the stadium debt. Nigel Winterburn spoke on the weekend of the lack of funding at the club and the lack of ability to pull the trigger on first choice summer targets. He referenced the fact that the club could not get the Cesc Fabregas deal done quickly enough and had held a very weak hand in the market. This does tie in with what Arsene Wenger has had to say. Maybe there is a reported £60 million sitting in the vaults at the Emirates, but it is untouchable. If so, why? Why increase the season ticket prices, why waste £3 million on a player the manager has no intention of playing, and furthermore, why keep insisting that the manager has the full backing of the board on all fronts?
All questions that dodge Wenger and go directly to the boardroom. Exactly what was needed. The hostilities towards the manager are getting out of hand, and he has already done too much to deflect criticism away from the board. There was nothing wrong with what Wenger had to say, in fact it was greatly welcomed and might trigger a response from those above Wenger at the club.
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