Apparently we've got loads of money to spend

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By Chris Harris

Ivan Gazidis insists that Arsenal's activity in the transfer market is not hampered by their business principles.

The Club's self-sustainable model has put Arsenal on a strong financial footing and Gazidis stresses that Wenger is not handicapped by a desire to "stand on our own feet". He knows that a 'marquee signing' can set pulses racing but he is acutely aware that Wenger has enjoyed his greatest success with signings that did not break the bank.

"Our fans have the right to be excited, to look forward to the season with anticipation and to expect to see top-class players and exciting things happening on the pitch," said Gazidis. "It's our goal and our target to deliver all of that.

"Certainly if you sign a 'name player' that can be an easier way to get that [excitement] and I've got nothing against that. There's no point of principle involved there.

"But if you look at the best players that we have on our team, they were not necessarily superstar players when we signed them - I don't think any of them were when they came to Arsenal.

"It's not that we were against doing that. That could happen. But because we run a self-sufficient club - it's an important part of who we are because we have a philosophy of wanting to stand on our own two feet, keeping things in our control, not putting them in the hands of somebody else that we have to rely on - we have to think about the efficiency of the spend.

"There are many clubs - not just one or two - that have gone out and done exactly that and spent money on players who perhaps were difficult for them to afford but gave them a big hit, a big buzz, took the pressure off, and a year or two down the road found themselves having to address some difficult issues.

"If we found an established world-class player and we thought the economics made sense and he would add to what we could do on the pitch then there's no philosophical objection to that.

"Arsène has no point of principle to show the world that he can build his own team of young players. That's just not the way it is.

"It's easy to lose perspective on what Arsène is trying to do, which, I think, is an extraordinary vision but if you look around here, the fans we have around the world, that vision is very attractive and very, very powerful. We should be proud of that."*

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actions speak louder than words Glazidis.
:coffee:

We all knew this, just some Wenger die hards couldn't bring themselves to believe that last summer's business of Kos, Squid and Chamspak were that actions of our manager. Instead they wanted to believe he had no choice but to buy this utter shite as the club is skint.

Wake up people. Arsenal's accounts, and mega profit, is available for everyone to see.

Wenger chooses not to spend it, thought we established that. :coffee:

And yet?

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Arsène has no point of principle to show the world that he can build his own team of young players. That's just not the way it is.

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But I guess people will choose to read what they want to read. :coffee:

Wenger and Arsenal have never liked spending, that's a fact.....even when he was successful his spend was generally conservative, nothing has changed.

Fact is as Wenger has said many times if you gave him a 100 million he'd give it back. You can also tell form all his words about finances, self sustainibility etc that's he's very conservative spending wise and prefers to spend on cheaper players.....than take a chance on bigger signings. Gazidis's words just echo this:

What about these bits:

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Certainly if you sign a 'name player' that can be an easier way to get that [excitement] and I've got nothing against that. There's no point of principle involved there.

"But if you look at the best players that we have on our team, they were not necessarily superstar players when we signed them - I don't think any of them were when they came to Arsenal.

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If we found an established world-class player and we thought the economics made sense and he would add to what we could do on the pitch then there's no philosophical objection to that.

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You can believe what you like but at the end of the day, Wenger has said many times he doesn't want to "kill" his youngsters by signing other players, he's always claiming he'll only sign players if they are better than what we have and yet the players he signs often aren't....I'd say he's someone misguided these days.

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"We still will be active in this window,” Gazidis told the club’s official website. “We haven't finished our business at all. We're just not conducting it publicly; we're working hard privately.

“I'm was out in Asia because I could be with Arsene for an extended period of time and think very, very carefully about strategy and targets.”

There has been lots of talk about departures from the club this summer, with Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas continually rumoured to be leaving, but Gazidis revealed that they were determined to improve the weaker areas of their squad.

“We understand where the weaknesses have been,” he continued. “Financially we're in a strong position, we have resources to spend.

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Further in the article he states that we have "substantial" amount to invest.

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1956/...ve-substantial

Yeah, people do choose to read what they want. :coffee:

Just curious that people believe the headline that we've got loads of money to spend, when our actions have shown anything but, and the statement Glazidis mentions comes with a ton of caveats. Where as when Glazidis defends wenger he's obviously lying due to *facts*.


*shrugs*

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Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Further in the article he states that we have "substantial" amount to invest.

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1956/...ve-substantial

Yeah, people do choose to read what they want. :coffee:

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I read it and posted even though it disagrees somewhat with my viewpoint that we can't competitie with our rivals in terms of wages or transfer fees. It's just funny that the part which states that wenger has no idealogical disposition to spending is wilfully ignored whilst the rest is taken as gospel. :coffee:

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Originally Posted by AKBapologist

I read it and posted even though it disagrees somewhat with the viewpoint that we can't competitiveness with our rivals in terms of wages or transfer fees. It's just funny that the part which states that wenger has no idealogical disposition to spending is wilfully ignored whilst the rest is taken as gospel. :coffee:

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Well, he's not going to stitch Wenger up by saying he's choosing not to spend it, that wouldn't be good PR would it?

The money is there, the board have said so in the past and now Gazidis has. Ok it's not exactly Man City esque, but we can certainly afford more than the paltry net spend we normally end every transfer window with.

Whether it's a moral stance from Wenger on spending large amounts, whether it's because we get priced out by other clubs, or whether Wenger feels one of his kids is good enough to step up, the point is this club does not make the most of it's resources. At least most fans understand that which is good.

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Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Well, he's not going to stitch Wenger up by saying he's choosing not to spend it, that wouldn't be good PR would it?

The money is there, the board have said so in the past and now Gazidis has. Ok it's not exactly Man City esque, but we can certainly afford more than the paltry net spend we normally end every transfer window with. At least most fans understand that which is good.

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With the same reasoning, why would he come out and say that the club is poor? He's hardly going to stitch up the board and owners by saying we've got no money to spend.

Anyway, we've probably got a one time cash deposit of £30-50mill like I've said plenty of times, but given that the majority of that amount comes from player sales or one off property deals, it's not healthy, especially when the likes of united generate that much extra every season from better commercial deals. That's the bottom line of what the AST and many others have been talking about. *Many fans* are unable or unwilling to see the difference. People forgot that when we where winning stuff, our wage bills where 1st or 2nd in the league. It's dropped to 4th, and look where we are. The difference between where we are and 3rd in terms of total wages is about 10 denilsons, and yet the mantra is that "wenger is mismanaging the club with so much dross on "high" wages".

I don't think anyone could have an ideological disposition to spending tons of money if that was in fact what they where told to do, but it's clear that isn't the case and if we did have owners who did want our manager to spend, and our manager then indeed refused to spend, AW would have been gone long ago. There is no escaping the fact that the people who run the club are, or have been 110% satisfied with Wengers approach, and that's the fundamental problem.

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Originally Posted by AKBapologist

And yet?



But I guess people will choose to read what they want to read. :coffee:

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Arsene may not directly be on some crusade to prove everybody wrong but he sure has hell sits on funds. We sold Kolo & Ade the other year and Arsene & the board specifically said that all the funds from those sales were available to reinvest in the team, Arsene didn't buy anybody.

Arsene sets a very rigid criteria when it comes to buying players, he seems to set his valuations and if those aren't met then he won't buy. All this finding the "right" player stuff he comes out with pretty much backs this up. He would rather not buy and make do with what he has than go that extra mile and spend the extra when necessary.

Tbf, we spent 15m of that money the following January on Arshavin, 10m apiece on Vermaelen and Koscielny in the following 18 months as well. That was during the period where we needed a safety zone more than a title-winning team (in terms of the financial well-being of the club), I know people don't like to think of the financial side but it's become increasingly important to setting up the club and the team the right way and gaining long-term success to be a little more prudent rather than Redknapping it all on average players for big fees and big wages.

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Originally Posted by Darth Vela

rather than Redknapping it all on average players for big fees and big wages.

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Isn't that what we do minus the big fees anyway? :lol:

No point in going over this stuff with AKB. The guys a nutter.

What's been said has been said before....say no more.

Money isn't the problem.

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Originally Posted by Darth Vela

Tbf, we spent 15m of that money the following January on Arshavin, 10m apiece on Vermaelen and Koscielny in the following 18 months as well. That was during the period where we needed a safety zone more than a title-winning team (in terms of the financial well-being of the club), I know people don't like to think of the financial side but it's become increasingly important to setting up the club and the team the right way and gaining long-term success to be a little more prudent rather than Redknapping it all on average players for big fees and big wages.

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The figures don't add up. Neither do the statements coming out of the club from all and sundry stating we have money to spend.

I'm pretty sure the money (not Citeh or Chelsea style) is there but our manager is reluctant to spend.

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Originally Posted by Marc Overmars

Isn't that what we do minus the big fees anyway? :lol:

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Well, Squillaci is a 'special' talent :d

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Originally Posted by selassie

The figures don't add up. Neither do the statements coming out of the club from all and sundry stating we have money to spend.

I'm pretty sure the money (not Citeh or Chelsea style) is there but our manager is reluctant to spend.

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I think it's more accurate to say our manger WAS reluctant to spend, I'm not doubting that we could have spent more than we did in the last 4/5 years but that the prudence was understandable at that point. Now that we have a stronger financial base we can spend a little more, ofc Wenger isn't going to completely change his opinions on spending but I wouldn't be surprised to see a few bigger names coming in, that's all strictly speculation though. I agree that there's money there to spend and now new blood is needed I think we'll spend some of it.

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Originally Posted by Darth Vela

Well, Squillaci is a 'special' talent :d

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But that's the whole point, Squid may well be a useless POS right now, a player who would never make it into any other PL team and a complete waste of the money we paid for him and a total fucking liability every time he sets foot on the pitch. But give it a few years and Wenger will have moulded him into a world beater. Let's say we can sell him for £370-£2,287million in maybe 3 years. Even when you knock off the £226million paid in wages over that time, - that's good business right?

We may not be able to compete with the likes of Chelsea and Man City, but there are enough funds available to go after quality, experienced footballers who would add value to the squad. Players like Vermaelen and Sagna didn't cost an arm and a leg, but both have improved the team significantly since their arrival. The sad fact is that Wenger chooses not to spend the funds available, because he's become a deluded ideologue who believes it's his way or the highway. He is so ideologically invested in his youth project that he will keep perservering with it despite all the evidence that it's not working, until we drop out of Europe altogether and maybe then the board will wake up and smell the coffee, and hopefully sack him.

http://www.transferleague.co.uk/leag...2006-2011.html

We've been outspent by 25 other clubs in England alone over the last 5 years, including the likes of Wolves, Swansea, Hull and Blackpool. While charging the highest amount for tickets...

So let's stop with the 'oh noes we're broke and we can't afford to spend on quality or else we'll go bankrupt' stuff.

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Originally Posted by Boss

http://www.transferleague.co.uk/leag...2006-2011.html

We've been outspent by 25 other clubs in England alone over the last 5 years, including the likes of Wolves, Swansea, Hull and Blackpool. While charging the highest amount for tickets...

So let's stop with the 'oh noes we're broke and we can't afford to spend on quality or else we'll go bankrupt' stuff.

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This is a good strategy for a purely private enterprise, especially an enterprise facing relatively inelastic demand (i.e. an increase in prices doesn't lead to a significant drop in ticket sales). However, for a football club that is supposed to be embedded within its community and serves a wider social objective, the way the board have shafted us over the last 6-7 years is nothing short of a disgrace. While they line their pockets with gold by increasing the value of their shares and profiteering from property sales, the fans are left to pick up the tab.

given the chance i'd do the same, easy money

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Originally Posted by Boss

http://www.transferleague.co.uk/leag...2006-2011.html

We've been outspent by 25 other clubs in England alone over the last 5 years, including the likes of Wolves, Swansea, Hull and Blackpool. While charging the highest amount for tickets...

So let's stop with the 'oh noes we're broke and we can't afford to spend on quality or else we'll go bankrupt' stuff.

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Funny, in that link I counted 8 teams with higher gross and 18 with higher nett. Close enough I guess.

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Originally Posted by Joker

This is a good strategy for a purely private enterprise, especially an enterprise facing relatively inelastic demand (i.e. an increase in prices doesn't lead to a significant drop in ticket sales). However, for a football club that is supposed to be embedded within its community and serves a wider social objective, the way the board have shafted us over the last 6-7 years is nothing short of a disgrace. While they line their pockets with gold by increasing the value of their shares and profiteering from property sales, the fans are left to pick up the tab.

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Yeah, not like we have a large mortgage to pay off as well so it's difficult to see where else the money could be going.

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Originally Posted by Darth Vela

Funny, in that link I counted 8 teams with higher gross and 18 with higher nett. Close enough I guess.

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18 currently in the PL + 7 that have since been relegated.

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Originally Posted by Boss

18 currently in the PL + 7 that have since been relegated.

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So it is, turns out I'm unable to read. :lol:

I'm becoming convinced that it's not a lack of funds which informs our transfer policy, but the wage structure.

We could afford to pay Nasri the 83% pay rise he wants, £110k doesn't break the wage structure but the board may feel that it sets a dangerous precedent.

There are reasons why you don't negotiate with terrorists. It legitimises and rewards, and this encourages further acts of terrorism. The last thing the board want to encourage is a squad full of wage terrorists who demand 83% pay rises on half a good season.

Here's why I think that shit went down.

Prior to the Emirates move they took a conscious decision to spend on wages not transfer fees. On the face of it, it's a logical decision (if you have to choose). Comparing any transfer spend per league point vs wage spend per league point analysis would tell you this.

Hence Wenger's youth policy. Young players cost less in fees, and if we offered disproportionate wages we could be more attractive to the best ones.
And come 2010 and the Highbury Sq development was supposed to land us a projected windfall of £100m for the team. Post ecomonic downturn however, our windfall ends up as a 'modest' profit.

The problem now is, if you're trying to keep a lid on the wage bill, raising the floor also lowers the ceiling. With the entry level wages so high, there is less in the pot for the top tier earners. And the arrival of the mega-rich only highlights the fact that our best players could earn far more elsewhere.

This whole thing has given rise to the egalitarian skew of our wage bill, which in turn means we struggle to offload overpaid underperformers. To restructure (or 'fix' depending on your point of view) the wage bill now would require significant funds, because I doubt many in the squad would accept a pay cut (Eboue not included).

Wages are our main expenditure and the desire to keep a tight lid on it influences both our transfer policy and our re-negotiation of contracts. IMO.

Good post FoL.

Also,Emmanuel Eboue is the luckiest man on the planet.

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Originally Posted by GB.

Good post FoL.

Also,Emmanuel Eboue is the luckiest man on the planet.

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Is there not a white Eboue then??

And also.

Top posting Fister.

There´s no need to worry. We´ve already got Gervinho. After all, mutd for example are quiet too, they only got De Gea and Young, Liverpool only Downing and Adam. We´re just 1 player behind :)

Keep it up arsene!! :scarf:

PS: also Fabregas and Nasri will be our (like) new signings of the season, at least in spirit.

:sleep: