Quote Originally Posted by Toronto Gooner View Post
Actually, Fist you took the words right out of my fingers.... There is over-the-top and there is ridiculously insane.

The first question would have to be is Messi worth 250 million? Is that the transfer fee or the whole package? If the former (which I suspect), then how much more will he cost due to the wages?

The next question is will Arsenal be able to recoup the money expended through the incremental increase in revenue that Messi will bring? Given that (currently) the club:
(1) sells out the stadium, there will be no increase in seat sales; and
(2) already plays in CL, there will be no substantial increase in revenue there, unless he wins the CL for the club every year of his contract.

So the only ways of increasing revenue would be by increased shirt sales and non-competitive games and tours. I do not think that the money from these two endeavours would generate enough revenue to get close to breaking even.
(3) the
No one suggested arsenal should splash that kind on money on messi!

we are not in the position to. But we can do far better than the dross we have been signing. As cripps said, if spending 30million on a quality striker or defender makes us go under, then fuc*K, we can't call oursleves a top football club or charge the ticket prices we do.