If you read some reports from the last couple of days, you’d think that Arsenal were doomed – Wenger says all the stars will have to be sold, Hill-Wood expects a hostile takeover, etc etc etc.
Read some more rational reports and you’ll see a slightly more realistic outlook. Wenger was attributed some odd comments by the News of the World, saying:
“The strategy of the club is to sell every year and to buy less expensive players. We manage at Arsenal to maintain all our football ambitions – national and European – while having to free up – for 17 more years – an annual surplus of £24m to pay for our stadium.”
While some have interpreted this to mean Arsenal are a selling club, the truth is probably simply that both the board and Wenger himself are rather good at economics. To think that the club are in ruin because they seek profits on the players is ridiculous – such profits are made by turning players into superstars and selling them when it suits Arsenal. They give great service to the club and then finance the stadium in part when they leave. It is a fantastic business model.
Anelka, Overmars, Petit, Henry – by my reckoning these four alone were sold at a 40m combined profit. That does not mean they didn’t give their best years to the club.
The point is this – if silly money is offered for our players, we will consider the sale. As with any business, an offer over and above the value of an asset should not be dismissed. But the key is that Wenger is already achieving these profits, so for some unscrupulous outlets to report a crisis is mere scaremongering. Nothing has really changed.
As for the chairman, he has some interesting comments to make about Adebayor and Hleb, indicating that the former will stay while the latter can go. The Adebayor case is probably now very simple – if the asking price is offered, he will go and Arsenal will rejoice at an inflated profit on a player who is not worth the money he has gone for. If it isn’t, he will stay and continue on his path towards becoming a top striker at the Emirates. Either resolution suits us just fine.
Hleb is a different matter. What started out as a player being in demand and wanting to leave, has morphed into Arsenal wanting him out and not being able to find a buyer. Gunnerblog wrote a good post yesterday on this summer’s merry go round, with everyone waiting for everyone else to make the first move. Once it happens, the ball will really start rolling.
Until then, please ignore the crisis talks. Are you not tired of hearing them every summer?
3 Responses to “Hill-Wood and Wenger speak, the world panics”
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Nice writing style. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Chris Moran
yep, just business as usual at arsenal. we’re just more economical than most clubs which will stand us in good stead for the future. of course, we can be a bit cheap, we do need as wenger said ‘experience talent’, but all we’ve been linked with are more youngsters, veloso’s a kid ffs, did he even play at the euros? shame that ade appears to have a ego problem, he might have been special, no way he’s welcomed back as before. wenger needs to pay a bit better, but ade’s demands, if true, reflect a player who’s just gonna be trouble. if he can’t accept a doubling of salary this year and negotiate next year depending on how things go, then let it go, he’s irredeemable. at afc players only earn top dollar, they don’t demand it. buy this chap a one way ticket. hleb as well, can’t figure this one out though, what position did he want to play anyway, in goal, he had the whole midfield left side, box to box. he didn’t look unhappy this last campaign. wierd, but if he’s set to go, ok, lol, we’ll take yaya and a nice pile of dosh.
we have never had the financial clout of some clubs but we’ll be fine, ultimately the stadium will have proved an excellent strategic move. we can’t buy all the best players, but wenger can build a formidable team out of less distinguished players. but we should only buy players who love afc, not etoo, huntelaar, and veloso – these goofs will play anywhere(aka mercs with attitudes). veloso didn’t even play at euros, he’s worth 7 mil quid tops. Sporting fishing for fools, afc laughing at these figures.