Arsenal ready to spend big
Six successive seasons without a trophy is disappointing for a club of Arsenal’s stature, but chief executive Ivan Gazidis stresses that “we’ve got a substantial amount of money that we can invest”.
The Gunners have not had much glory since the 2003/04 season, where they earned the moniker of the ‘Invincibles’ for winning the Premier League title without losing a single match.
Last season, however, Arsenal finished fourth, not even achieving automatic qualification for the Champions League group stage. Couple this with the fact that star midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri both look set to leave the Emirates, and Arsenal’s future does not look promising.
However Gazidis states “we still will be active in this window, we haven’t finished our business at all. The important thing for us, which can be frustrating, is not doing it only in response to a public clamour but in a way that can positively impact our performance next year. That’s the focus now.”
Such words should provide some comfort to disappointed Gunners fans and Arsene Wenger has already signed Ivorian international striker Gervinho from French champions Lille.
Another potential target for the Gunners is Slovakian international midfielder Marek Hamsik. The Napoli star, who is being chased by many top European clubs, is seen as the ideal replacement for Cesc Fabregas, though the staggering £83.7m price tag slapped on him by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis will put Wenger off.
A more realistic target is 17 year old Southampton wonderkid Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who is valued at £12m and has been quoted to say that he is ready to play in the Premier League. His 10 goals and 2 assists helped the Saints gain promotion to the Championship last season and signing him would certainly match Wenger’s ethos of signing talented young stars.
Reports suggest that the transfer kitty available to Wenger will be around £35m, and that will be bolstered if they sell Fabregas or Nasri. However Wenger would like to keep both at the club, but with Barcelona and Manchester City circling, the Gunners’ resolve will truly be tested in the next few days.
