Quote Originally Posted by Power_n_Glory View Post
We had poorer quality players as result of moving to the Emirates. We weren’t replacing the Invincibles and opted for cheaper, younger alternatives in hope that they’d get better. I say cheaper alternatives, but that wasn’t true because we’d pay these guys really well. They earned first team money. The wages didn’t go down, they went up even though the quality went down. The stadium move has put us in a good position for this era but then again, it’s the new sponsorship money that’s seen a complete shift in our finances. Ozil and Sanchez wouldn’t have happened without it.
It's all relative though. We've done what we can financially as the game has moved on. That has been enough to keep us in the top four. And without the stadium, the inflation in the market wouldn't allowed us to spend the top wages you state. The players that earned first team money in the end, were the ones who made the first team....they may not have been the required quality, but they must have been to keep us top four

Ozil and Sanchez may well have happened outside of a doped market, with lower sponsorship revenue.

We may have gotten away with a couple more years at Highbury, but the point is this. We spend within our means, from our own profits, and still compete. Without the stadium, we wouldn't be able to, AND maintain competetive. Full stop.