Wenger Hints At More Conservative Spending Despite Cash Boost
Arsene Wenger has declared that despite having some major cash at his disposal through the new sponsorship deal with Emirates, he will be tentative with his spending in the transfer market.
The Gunners recently signed a contract extension worth £ 150 million with their shirt sponsor Emirates and later on, club CEO Ivan Gazidis claimed that they will soon be able to compete with rich rival clubs for top quality players.
However, as expected, Wenger says that having a significantly improved transfer kitty doesn’t mean that he will start spending crazy money on buying new players and their wages.
In a recent interview, the Arsenal boss said: “If we get that amount of money from sponsors it is not charity, it is because the sponsors feel that we act in the right way and with the right values. They reward that. Afterwards it is down to us to spend the money in the right way. There are two aspects to any deal; one is the transfer [fee] and the other is the wages.
“The transfers for these kinds of players are not at £30million today, they are at £50million or £60million and what has gone through the roof is the wages of these players. That is why people plead for financial fair play. Some clubs even pleaded that the new television money (for Premier League clubs) should not be used to increase wages because it gives huge problems to everybody.”
Arteta Defends Wenger’s Choices
Mikel Arteta has defended Arsene Wenger’s record and decisions at Arsenal, after the Frenchman came under fire from the club’s fans over the weekend.
In the second half of Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Aston Villa on Saturday, Wenger replace in-form striker Olivier Giroud with inexperienced midfielder Francis Coquelin and that angered the club fans, who were heard chanting ‘You don’t know what you’re doing.’
While Arteta accepts that the Gooners have the right to voice their opinion, he believes criticism of Wenger’s decisions is totally undeserved.
In an interview with Sky Sports, the Spaniard said: “They can say whatever they want. If they feel that way it has to be respected. Even when they say something to one of us. I think he has got experience and he has been here for 15 years. He is someone who knows the club better than anyone. He knows the players really well and he knows what he can get from each of us. So when he puts the team out, obviously it’s because he wants to win it and he’s picked the best team – that day – to win that game.
“He is always trying to do the best, you know. And some of the decisions he takes are very unpopular. But if he takes them it’s because he’s got a reason. If he does it once then maybe it’s a mistake but if he does it four or five times then there is a reason why and he’ll explain that better than anyone.”
Everton’s Moyes Praises ‘Leader’ Arteta
Mikel Arteta has been praised by Everton manager David Moyes, who believes that Arsenal are reaping the benefits of the time the Spaniard spent at Goodison Park playing under him.
The Gunners bought Arteta from Everton in a £10 million deal last year as a replacement for their departed captain Cesc Fabregas and he has become an integral part of coach Arsene Wenger’s midfield since then. The 30-year-old is now viewed as a team leader at Arsenal and Moyes says that he isn’t surprised by the importance he is receiving in North London.
Ahead of Arsenal’s league clash with Everton, Moyes said: “I’m not surprised. He is a very gifted footballer, he is a great lad to work with. I think the manager (Wenger) was probably surprised what he offers: he is a great professional, a really good footballer and I’ll be delighted to see him back – just disappointed it is in an Arsenal jersey.
“I see Mikel now and when they are having a bit of a huddle he is the one who is the leader and I think they look to him, he has taken on a lot of the leadership qualities in that side. He was part of the rebuilding process that had to take place at Everton when we tried to develop the team and move it on.”
The Toffees boss further recalled: “We took Mikel on loan from Real Sociedad after he’d been at Rangers and it hadn’t quite worked for him. We were a bit unsure when he first came here. He was a bit lightweight to play in the middle and so we played him off the side and he was great there for us, he really was. Eventually he moved on to be a real key figure in that period and was a big part of us developing and moving Everton forward.”
Wenger Doesn’t Care About Fan Criticism
Arsene Wenger has said that he doesn’t care of what the boo-boys think of him and he will continue to manage Arsenal as he sees fit.
The long serving Gunners boss was targeted by a faction of his club’s own fans in last Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Aston Villa. Chants of “you don’t know what you’re doing” were clearly heard but the Frenchman says he is unconcerned by the criticism being directed at him by the fans.
Wenger said: “In the modern media service, the extreme opinions are picked and sold like a majority, what (that) is not always the case. Those who shout the loudest are usually presented because they are interesting and easy to sell, but they do not represent the majority always of opinions.
“That some fans are not happy when you play 0-0 at Aston Villa, I can understand because I am not happy. I want to win the game as well, but I do not share the fact that always the minority is presented like everyone thinks like them.
“We don’t give too much importance to those fans’ reaction. Our job is somewhere else, on the football pitch, to give our best on the pitch. The rest? If you are at this table and you have any emotional reaction, you have nothing to do in our job. My job is to get the best out of my team with the potential we have.
“At the end of last season we finished third. Honestly I don’t think there was much more in the team than finishing third. My pride comes from that as well. When we won the Premier League with zero defeats, which nobody else has ever done, you can think there is not much room to do much better. At the end of the season, I want to stand in front of my mirror and think, ‘could you have done more?’.”
Wenger Admits Interest in Crystal Palace’s Zaha
Arsene Wenger has admitted that Crystal Palace’s in-demand winger Wilfried Zaha is among the players he is considering signing for Arsenal but said that nothing is certain at this stage.
On Tuesday, the Frenchman was asked if Zaha is a transfer target for his club, to which he replied in the affirmative and added: “We are looking at every player who could strengthen our squad – but he is not more on the list than anyone else.”
It is believed that the Gunners will launch a bid of £9 million for the wunderkind in January although Palace rate him at around £20 million.
Meanwhile, the Eagles manager Ian Holloway is not impressed with Wenger’s open admission of interest in acquiring Zaha’s services. The 49-year-old criticised his Arsenal counterpart in a recent interview by saying: “Why is he talking about my players? I don’t think that’s right and proper, with the greatest respect.
“I don’t think anybody who manages any other club should actually admit who he likes and what he should be doing. I think that’s totally bad etiquette. He can say what he likes but about his players, not mine.”
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