This article seems written to just make Gazidis look good and blame everything on Wenger
Should Wenger be sacked?
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Come on, arsenal would come second in a one horse race at the minute, being in the europa won't mean they win it. They will implode in feb.march just like every other year if wenger remains. It has happened consistently with 3 different sets of players, and one manager. Time to place the blame at the one constant and stop making excuses.
The thing is, with the structure of the club, its hard to judge Gazidis on anything until Wenger is gone because Wenger is the final decision maker on the footballing end. Interviews with both over the years imply that and so do the biographies. So its tough to really know how ambitious Gazidis would be without Wenger. But even if the Board is just interested in profits and asset growth, they know as businessmen that its better to have your spare cash "working for you" rather than just sitting in the bank working for the bank.
Kroenke is ruining that club.
F365 Letters said:
Because it's Kroenke who decides, as he is our major shareholder. Usmanov can do nothing.
However, our line up could be this one next season:
Butland
Bellerin Koscielny Mustafi Gaya
Xhaka new CM
Walcott Barkley Iwobi
Lacazette
walcott and iwobi???
Thats shite
The question is how highly do Arsenal supporters rank their side? Because that's the basis on which their expectations need to be set.
Personally, for me their side is barely top 4 quality, and has been around the 3rd best-4th best in last 2-3 years, and that's where they've finished.
Cech- DDG, Courtois, and Lloris(despite his mistakes this season) better at the very least now
Bellerin- Us, Chelsea, Spurs and possibly Pool have a better RB. Bellerin is quality, make no mistake, but he is overrated and that's [rmarily due to the attacking threat he poses rather than defensive solidarity.
CB(Koscielny and Mustafi)- This is one area where I may concede they are among the finest. Possibly Spurs are the only side being better and one could say even Chelsea as well,but ten they use 3 CBs as well.
Monreal- I think he's finished. Was among the best LB's till last year, but Rose, Bertrand and based on form this year, even Milner have been better
CM(Xhaka and Coquelin)- Again Spurs, Us, Chelsea and probably City are better at the very least
Wings(Walcott and Iwobi)- Pool, City, Chelsea, maybe Spurs and probably us as well have better wingers.
Ozil- He is a quality player, but if I'm to judge on this season's performances alone he's been absolutely average. He goes missing in most of the big games and one could say Spurs, City, maybe Pool and us have a more inform player at this position this year.
Sanchez- This is one position where I can't say Arsenal are lacking. He's been up there with the finest in the league and it would be a coin toss between him and Kane as to who the best Striker has been this season.
Personally, for me their side is barely top 4 quality, and has been around the 3rd best-4th best in last 2-3 years, and that's where they've finished.
Cech- DDG, Courtois, and Lloris(despite his mistakes this season) better at the very least now
Bellerin- Us, Chelsea, Spurs and possibly Pool have a better RB. Bellerin is quality, make no mistake, but he is overrated and that's [rmarily due to the attacking threat he poses rather than defensive solidarity.
CB(Koscielny and Mustafi)- This is one area where I may concede they are among the finest. Possibly Spurs are the only side being better and one could say even Chelsea as well,but ten they use 3 CBs as well.
Monreal- I think he's finished. Was among the best LB's till last year, but Rose, Bertrand and based on form this year, even Milner have been better
CM(Xhaka and Coquelin)- Again Spurs, Us, Chelsea and probably City are better at the very least
Wings(Walcott and Iwobi)- Pool, City, Chelsea, maybe Spurs and probably us as well have better wingers.
Ozil- He is a quality player, but if I'm to judge on this season's performances alone he's been absolutely average. He goes missing in most of the big games and one could say Spurs, City, maybe Pool and us have a more inform player at this position this year.
Sanchez- This is one position where I can't say Arsenal are lacking. He's been up there with the finest in the league and it would be a coin toss between him and Kane as to who the best Striker has been this season.
Swissramble isn't some insider, he's looking at the financials and making assumptions. The biggest assumption that the savings weren't leveraged against debt.
They were talking a war chest year on year for years all while we made a slight profit and spending in a far more conservative manner than before Kroenke got on board.
As for 2015 I'm not sure what happened, I think Wenger was probably under instruction to get a few wages off the and we couldn't shift Flamini. I think he was probably trying for a big signing or 2 that didn't come off. Or it could be he was told if he was going to spend big in 2014 he couldn't in 2015 to balance it out. Interesting to see what happens this summer, we need investment, will it happen? Will Ozil/Alexis be offered bumper salaries or will both be off, I think it's the later.
It's not title contender level, but it might be enough for top 4. Is the current Liverpool squad that much stronger or the Tottenham one? It depends on whether they gel well as a team. On whether they become more than the sum of its parts (like Tottenham) rather than less (like us).
Barkley would be an incredibly un-Arsenal signing, ie very expensive and very average. I'd rather give Chamberlain a run as CAM. And we aren't spending 50m on Lacazette, think he's agreed terms with Atletico
Arsenal's turnover and revenue is public so they aren't assumptions.
And in 2015 you seem to be making up a theory out of thin air that contracts all of Wenger's own quotes that summer as well as the what the public does know of the finances. To argue that Arsenal did not make any outfield signings because Flamini could not be shifted is silly. Where is your evidence? Sounds like just a random thought.
All the evidence I see - from Wengers' actions even back when he was at Monaco (he focused on youth and tried to build his project there before getting fired) to Wenger's general quotes over 20 years to Wenger's specific quotes in summer 2015 to Gazidis quotes to what the biographers like Alex Flynn and Kevin Whitcher have written, its very clear the evidence supports the theory that Wenger is absolutely 100% deliberately choosing to spend under what he could because of his fascination with making his project work his way and only his way.
And Arsenal could easily give Ozil and Alexis the contracts they want from a purely financial perspective. Its Wenger and the socialist wage structure preventing that.
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With Lacazette and Barkley in while Sanchez and Ozil out, not sure if you attack power is going to increase
Arsenal's is, but the stadium loan agreement isn't and neither is KSE's loan agreements on the back of Arsenal and his other sports franchises.
And yes like Swissramble I have made a theory up out of observations. We tried to shift Flamini, a Turkish team wanted him we were going to let him go for free but they couldn't agree on his wages. If he left we surely would of brought in another midfielder and Xhaka has publically said he was talking to Wenger in the summer of 2015 so it probably would of been him.
I know he didn't focus on youth initially at Monaco when he brought in Weah, Hoddle, Hately and Klinnsman. Although I'm not sure what it was like at the end, he took them to the CL semis though and was offered the Bayern job. If he did focus on youth, it might be because he had Thierry Henry, Thuram and Trezeguet amongst his ranks amongst others like Petit. He didn't focus on youth when he dumped Penant, Upson and Bentley. And he isn't focusing on youth hardly at all now. The youth project post Emirates imo was a cheap way to squad build knowing finances wouldn't be there.
As for 'socialist wage structure', to an extent it is, but United/Liverpool/City/Chelsea all overpay average players too.
All I was saying is that if he stays and Arsenal end up in the EL, he should try to win it.
Let me see if I understand your argument.
You are trying to argue that Wenger could not have spent any more money in the summer of 2015 because Flamini could not be shifted out and Kroenke needed to keep £200M in the bank to leverage a capital gains play?
You realize if you actually believe that, you also believe that not only Gazidis but Wenger is not only flat out lying but crafting detailed false narratives to mislead people. So you think Wenger is blatantly lying?
Read some of the biographies on his career and time at Monaco to learn more here.
Wenger has long championed a far more socialist wage structure than any other top club in world football. Overpaying squad dross due to poor scouting or initial overrating happens with every club. But Wenger's socialistic wage structure is the only system that systemically overpays squad players and staff while placing a glass ceiling on the top wages.
Just reported what i read on the newspapers. I do agree Barkley would be such an odd signing. Butland would be very good, instead. The keeper is one of our main problems. It has been going for years and we have only addressed it partially.
That's genuinely bad. At every level. OKish GK, average back 4, poor CM, very lacklustre AMs, decent striker. That's IMO worse than Everton, and I don't see any decent gootball from this XI either. You guys need a massive CM upgrade, with better technique in the 2.
That lineup would struggle to qualify for Europa league football. The problem with Arsenal is that the fans expectations, strength(or weakness) of squad, managers wants and owners wants are all way out of alignment. Losing Wenger may seem like a no brainer on paper but it would probably be the worst thing to happen to Arsenal long term with a man like Kroenke steering the ship, a man who is known for buying and ruining sports teams. Suppose at Wengers ripe old age it's only a matter of time anyway.
That's just what the newspapers say. They could have invented a better bullshit because this is poor.
Wenger/Gazidis have never said they could spend the 200m in the bank. That 200m is being used for something other than the football club because each year the club is run at a profit. Look at the statements, when it happens year on year it's clearly the businesses objective.
Gazidis in 2014 claimed we had pretty much maxed out budget out after a £50m net spend (including the Vela/Fabregas revenues) and that year we made a profit.
But if you compare what players are paid it isn't necessarily true. Ashley Young is on 120k, Henderson 100k, Milner 160k.
I've seen those newspapers, they're clickbaiting us mate. I remember when we were linked to Downing
Every season when Arsenal collapse there are plans for a massive overhaul in the summer in the newspapers
Every season when Arsenal collapse there are plans for a massive overhaul in the summer in the newspapers
The reality is every paper makes massive advertising revenue from fans reading the sports pages and they read sports pages for transfer gossip. The vast majority is BS just to bring fans in.
You aren't answering the question.
Are you claiming that Wenger did not spend in the summer of 2015 because there were zero funds available for him due to Flamini being unable to be moved on and that £200M+ in the bank could not have been spent in the summer 2015 because it was "being used for something" else for a year? Thats what it sounds like you are claiming with zero evidence to back that up. No other money was available to Wenger beyond what could be generated from a Flamini sale to Turkey?
That's pretty poor mate.
The 200m can't be spent at anytime. There was probably some transfer funds available if the wage bill was reduced by moving on a player on a free. There's a limit to what they'll pay in wages in a year.
Maybe Wenger should think that way about the fans too. What have they done to not be included in this socialist structure?
Yeah, that's the reason why it is just newspapers bullshit. The only one in that list who could play for us is Butland.
Where is your evidence that Arsenal cannot spend any of that 200M+ ?
And you believe that Flamini's wages were the literally the only available wages we had to spend? Where is your evidence for that?
You do realize that if you are right, you are basically calling Wenger a total liar who crafts completely imaginary narratives solely to take the heat off Kroenke yes?
Now The Sun reports Wenger wants to go to P.S.G.
FFS Arséne! Make up your mind once and for all. I am fed up with all these news.
FFS Arséne! Make up your mind once and for all. I am fed up with all these news.
Contract talks for Ozil and Sanchez shelved until the end of the season. Interesting.
I have as much evidence as Swiss Ramble and probably more but all circumstancial. We've never touched our savings, Wenger's never been under pressure to deliver anything other than 4th, Wenger's behaviour in the transfer market before and after the Emirates move, Kroenke has run all of his sports franchises into the ground, Kroenke has bought masses of farmlands using credit, credit that would require security putting up, ie tangible assets, and 200m in the bank is as tangible to creditors as you can get.
Oh and the fact Gazidis said 'we've spent nearly all of our transfer budget' after delivering a 55m net spend in the summer 2015. How can that 200m be available to spend if 55m is our budget? It obviously can't be.
Swiss Ramble published all the publicly available accounts, analyzed it and concluded that Wenger did indeed have more money to spend in summer 2015. Additionally Wenger directly stated that summer he had money to spend but he chose not to. Gazidis also said we had more money to spend that summer that Wenger left on the table. So that is a lot of evidence we had more money to spend in summer of 2015 than just the cheap Cech deal - analysis by public accounts from a finance professional and direct quotes from the Board and Wenger.
You are the only person asserting Wenger could not possibly have spent any more money in summer of 2015.
So you actually believe Kroenke is using the 200M in the bank that is the direct revenue of Arsenal FC to fund credit for farm purchases in the USA? And both Wenger and Gazidis are flat out lying to cover this up for him?
Also you realize he is married into the WalMart fortune. That family is worth something like 150 BILLION. Kroenke does not need to keep 200M of Arsenal's money in the bank to get a loan ffs
Nice imagination but without any evidence, Swiss Ramble is far more reliable than tin-foil hat theories like this.
Also note that I never claimed all 200M was available, everyone knows the full 200M is not available. But you are the one claiming that none of that 200M is available without any source and based entirely on this tin-foil speculation.
I think you are getting years confused or something. Arsenal FC did not have a 55M net spend in the summer of 2015.
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The accounts ultimately mean feck all without board sign off.
Yes
How so?
Swiss ramble is a tin foil hat wearer though, he has no evidence at all. I'm going by Gazidis statements what are you going by? Some internet person living in his mums basement?
So what percent of the 200m is available? Because according to Gazidis 'we've spent the most we can spend while spending 55m', it's zero. That's what Gazidis actually said
NET SPEND for 2014. And we did when you factor in the Fabregas/Vela revenues we received.
Ok so to be clear, you don't believe there is any value in Swiss Ramble analyzing the public accounts but you believe with zero supporting evidence that Kroenke is somehow keeping 200M of Arsenal's revenue in the bank because he needs this to secure loans? Even though Kroenke doesn't actually need to do any such thing to secure loans?
Wenger said he had more money to spend in summer 2015 but chose not to. Gazidis said the same. For your tin-foil theory of Kroenke scandalously using Arsenal money to fund farm purchases to be true, then Wenger and Gazidis are both lying to cover up for him.
Presumably all the other board members would also be covering up for Kroenke and hiding all evidence of this scandal from Usmanov who certainly would jump all over anything remotely like this if there was any truth to it.
I am not entirely sure what you are saying here and not sure you even know.
I am talking about summer 2015, always have been. First you claimed something about net spend of 55M in summer of 2015 which was flat out wrong. Maybe step back and try to re-write this part because its not really making any sense nor is it responding to what I am actually saying.
Now we are linked with Turan. Maybe Arsenal are his level.
In Wenger's mind yes. He's a Barca player after all so he has to be good.