Arsene Wenger says he can’t buy Players until £20 Million Profit Reached

Even though they’re one of the biggest teams in the world when it comes to money, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told a Belgian publication that he can only splash out on new players once the team has made a profit of £20 million. This apparently means he’s admitting there’s a restriction on his spending at the London club and he’s worried the team will suffer because of it.

According to Wenger, the club has to make a profit each year before he can dip into its bank account. However, he didn’t say if that was a club restriction or if it was self imposed. This does seem a little contradictory though since the club said it’s not the end of the world if they miss the Champions League because they have enough money to survive. It’s also a little odd that majority owner Stan Kroenke has bid over US $1billion for the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, but won’t spend any money on new players at Arsenal.

In the past, both the club and Wenger have said there was money to spend, but now it looks like he’s changing his tune. Wenger told the Belgian paper that he likes several Belgium international players such as Marouane Fellaini, Moussa Dembele, and Lille midfielder Eden Hazard, but admits he won’t be able to bid on them unless the profit target is reached. It’s a catch 22 situation though. The profit can be made if the team reaches the Champions League again next season, but they might not achieve their goal because new players weren’t added in the transfer window.

Wenger is now hoping that Thierry Henry will be able to extend his loan period, but the New York Red Bulls have every right to expect the French star to show up when MLS training camps begin. Wenger especially seems to like Hazard, saying he’s creative, is a good passer, and has excellent vision, power, and skill. But, he said similar things about Marouane Chamakh, Chu-Young Park, and Nicklas Bendtner and where have they gotten him?

Wenger feels Hazard belongs at a high-level team such as Arsenal, but high-level teams buy players when they need them, not when a certain profit has been made. The Gunners made some cash last year, approximately £64 million by selling Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Emmanuel Eboue, and Gael Clichy and then doled out £48 million on several new players.

With Arsenal sitting in sixth place in the table they have just as good a chance as anybody of finishing in the top four. They’re only three points behind Chelsea and two adrift of Newcastle with plenty of time left in the season, 14 games to be exact, meaning there are 42 points still up for grabs. They didn’t strengthen the team in the transfer window since German youngster Thomas Eisfeld was the only other player brought in along with Henry even though the squad is full of holes.

According to Wenger, Arsenal more or less need to make the top four this season if they hope to bid on players such as Hazard, Lukasz Podolski, and Mario Gotze. But if they finish out of the running for a Champions League spot it’s possible that Theo Walcott and Robin Van Persie will move on to Champions League teams and higher wages. Any money received in selling Van Persie and Walcott would then guarantee Wenger reaches his profit target.

Van Persie said he’s not going to discuss the future until the season ends, but Walcott’s agents are scheduled to discuss matters with Arsenal sometime in February. It’s understood that Liverpool and Chelsea are interested in the young England winger, but it’s unlikely that Walcott will decide on anything either until the season ends.

If Wenger happens to receive a restricted budget in the summer he could still go after Dembele and/or Fellaini as they’ll be quite a bit cheaper than Gotze, Podolski, and Hazard. In the meantime, one of Wenger’s loaned players, midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong, had to come limping back to the Emirates from Wolves after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, one of the worst injuries an athlete can suffer. He’s out for the season and will likely be out of action for at least six months while he recovers.