Posted on Sunday, 24th February 2013 by Ernest Mvue
A lot of limelight has been shone on Arsenal lately, with fans, pundits and even ex-players having their say on the current squad and Arsene Wenger’s future.
Ian Wright, however, has been one of the most vocal in the last few days.
This is what the former Gunners striker had to say on Absolute Radio’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Football Show after the 2-1 win over Aston Villa at The Emirates yesterday:
‘£70m is not enough! If Arsenal are going to stay in the top four they are going to need £200m or so to really compete and attract the right players.’
This is the same man who has been campaigning for Wenger to be sacked, and I guess he will have a lot more to say between now and the end of the summer.
On player sales, Wright said:
‘Players leave the club, it’s the nature of football, Thierry [Henry] left, [Samir] Nasri left, Robin left but Wenger needs to replenish the squad in the right way and he’s just not doing it at the moment. £70m isn’t enough.’
He added:
‘Arsenal can’t be in the market for £15 million players, they need to add a few world class £30 million plus players to start competing again.’
I tend to agree with him, but saying that we need to splash out £200 million in order to stay in the top four is a little bit over the top. £100 million should be enough to strengthen our side over the summer.
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Tags: Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Ian Wright, The Emirates
Posted in View From The Sphere | Comments (46)
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February 24th, 2013 at 2:43 pm
Arsenal need to spend not 200 million but 2 billion. If not they could be stuck in mid table mediocrity tahanks to Arsenes’ vision.
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 9:05 pm
Put another way … The best thing Arsene can do is to stay away from the training ground and let Steve Bould get on with it. That way we would have been higher up the table anyway. This despite being below par in key positions … thanks to Arsene’s views on Mertesacker, Santos, DFM etc.
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February 24th, 2013 at 2:47 pm
yup…and it was the 1st time i see the manager doing the gamble yesterday by withdrawing jenkinson for podolski during match. AW still the men, but seriously he need to consider his approach…
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 9:08 pm
How can he be ‘ The Man ‘ and have the wrong approach ?? He is yesterday’s man and has spent the last few years determined to prove he is right … and he has failed. Those years have been wasted !! Would have won far less without inheriting a great defence. Since those players all left or retired …. ZILCH.
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February 24th, 2013 at 2:52 pm
A load of rubbish Arsenal just need about 4 top class players in 1 striker a keeper and 2 top defenders and with the others they have will be fine. If they get those in the summer Arsenal will win plenty of silverware from 2014 onwards as long as Arsene is still there to bring this young squad through.
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 9:12 pm
They need to abandon Wenger’s personal crusade for wonderful passing football. With nil balance between attack and defence / ball playing and ball winning / incessant passing and shooting / open play and set piece. Oh and abandon his crazy socialist wage structure which has been a huge handicap. How can you not understand any of this ??
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February 24th, 2013 at 3:30 pm
How much has Wenger spent on transfers and wages over the last 3 Seasons?If the team set-up,tactics and the motivation behind these is wrong then no amount of spending will make any real difference.Five years ago Arsenal were probably one or two players short.Admittedly, they now require at least one new centre-back, a defensive midfielder,a goal-keeper and a goal scorer.But there is no real point in throwing good money away after bad.A new Manager is required.Someone who believes that the team must compete for every trophy and wants to win every game.Someone with a plan-who can see how best to exploit the virtues of the existing squad and what needs to change.It is possible to summise that the existing Manager took over a team which was defensively sound but had lost it’s cutting attacking edge.Any new Manager will,undoubtedly,work out that this team has attacking merit but doesn’t have a clue how to defend-either the back four or in paricular the team as a whole.Unfortunately,the current Manager is living off past success and has forgotten how to “manage the team” as opposed to “managing the club”.He has become a Director Of Football and surely most other intelligent fans must be able to see this too?
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:06 pm
Nonsense. A new manager like Mancinni or Mourinho would send Arsenal into the grave of debt. New and good players can be got cheap, Michu and Benteke are good examples but would the critical Arsenal fans give them the chance to bed in?
People of your illk are the problems, victory at all cost whether fair or not, whether bought or stolen. Arsenal can survive without supporters like you.
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February 24th, 2013 at 3:35 pm
Over the summer Arsenal should buy Wanyama, Capoue (both about 10m), Villa (15m), Sanchez (20-25m), Amorebieta (free), Reina (10-15m). Total sum comes to around 70 million. I think with these players they’d be able to secure at least 4th. There are also a few players they should sell which will generate some funds, and there is talk that Vermalen and Sagna could leave, in which case they’d have to be replaced with players of similar ability.
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 9:14 pm
Over the summer Wenger should give up and go away … to work out what most of us have increasingly seen over the last few years !!
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:12 pm
And the you would be appointed the manager!
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:43 pm
And then you would be appointed manager of Arsenal!
February 24th, 2013 at 3:40 pm
Unfortunately, Gunnersphere, I think you’re wrong, and Wrightie is right on the numbers (though I totally disagree with him about getting rid of Wenger).
I don’t think people realise just how much the likes of Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea, PSG, and that club in Azerbadjian have completely and utterly skewed the market for players.
For example, Van Persie will cost United around £48m over his 4 year contract (£25m transfer fee, plus £23m in wages over 4 years). The reported £200k per week, adds up very quickly indeed (do the maths, you’ll see).
A top class player is going to cost in the region of £40m to £50m just on the transfer, then you have to add another £40m to £50m to pay the players wages over a long term contract, so £200m will probably get you two-and-a-half top class players (in the mould of say, a Falcao).
Arsenal just don’t have the money to buy 1 or 2 top class players at £50m xfer + £30m wages each, so you have to ask yourself what other manager on this planet is going to get the same results with the resources made available to Wenger? Short answer – no other. That is assuming a top manager would even consider coming to Arsenal with the lack of funds.
Wenger needs to stay, he is actually our best hope of staying at the top table (top 4 in PL, CL in Europe) for the foreseeable future. Hopefully, FFP will make a difference, who knows, but Arsenal really don’t have any other options.
No other manager on this planet will be able to keep Arsenal at that level, on the funds that have been made available to Wenger.
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February 24th, 2013 at 3:46 pm
Jesus guys, stop all this calling for wengers head.
Take a reality check, we’re two points behind Chelsea in third.
If spurs don’t win tomorrow and we then beat them next week we overtake them. How much did Chelsea spend in the last 12 -18 months… Hazard, Oscar, Moses , mata etc., and they are just ahead of us. Spending money guarantees nothing. We’ll still secure fourth, personally I think we’ll end up third. Being a football fan means taking the rough with the smooth. What has happened to our loyal arsenal fans??
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carlos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 3:54 pm
And 21 points behind utd. Wake up mate and smell the beans. wengers finished…..
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:08 pm
But Real are so many points behind Barca and heaven is not falling. Stop this nonsense
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Happy umukoro Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 4:11 pm
Every Arsenal fan wants 2 become a coach. I think u shouid take d job 4rm Wanger.
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Dan Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 5:39 pm
Good point made by Redrich. Yes, we may be 21 points behind Utd but City, with all the millions they’ve spent are 12. Wenger has made mistakes over the last couple of years, there’s no doubt about that but who else, competing with the Chelsea, City and Utd with the financial constraints he’s had (until very recentky) could achieve what he’s done? 2 points off Chelsea, Spurs away next week and third is up for grabs. Get behind the team, the rest will take care of itself in the summer. I’d also like to note, that the darling of many a football fan and pundits from a managerial point of view; Guardiola, opted to join Bayern. Now there’s a clever man, he know’s full well that he’s joining the club just about to enter a period of dominance in European football. I wonder how well he would have done at Arsenal over the last few years, my hunch us not as well as Wenger.
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 9:15 pm
A lot of fans would have avoided Wenger’s more ludicrous mistakes. We would also let Steve Bould get on with it …
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:10 pm
What has been Bould contribution to the defense? What is his track record? Stop making contributions that are not based on facts or at least logical and sound
February 24th, 2013 at 3:46 pm
Wenger has spent plenty over the seasons he has been here so much so that he has a net loss of around 14 million after player sells not bad for the time he has been in charge. No we don’t need to spend 200 million we need 3-4 players possibly 5 if we can stretch to it. those players are a keeper two defenders one right back and one CB and a striker and I would say a holding midfielder two if we can stretch to it after player sells. Djourou mannone park bedntner arshavin squillaci frimpong all to go with maybe the exception of frimpong then probably santos on topyou could probably make 15 to twenty million on that lot add that to the pot and you have a good transfer pot to play with. I can understand what wrighty is saying but he is wrong world class players cost more than 30 million add another 5-10 million on for wages then your looking at for a world class about 40 million that is nice but leaves you with 30 million to buy 3 more players. we have a good squad adding quality and experience in vital areas will be vital but should not cost over the top well if he goes for villa and valdes and gets them for the reported 22 million he has done well and if the defender we been linked to Amboretta comes on a free too the thats three players for around twenty two million plus their wages leaving a good thirty million for other targets to come in and extend contracts of some other players.
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February 24th, 2013 at 3:49 pm
We just need a new diffence and 1 world class foward and we will overtake manure.
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February 24th, 2013 at 3:50 pm
I hate to burst anyone’s bubble of media-fuelled cynicism here, but we’re already more than capable of finishing 4th.
Chelsea are catch-able, should we get back to reasonable form, and after we demoralize them, Sp*rs will begin their annual crumble.
When will they learn? Before every N.L derby they come out banging on about hos they’ve caught up with us, or as in the past few years, overtaken us. You’d think the delusional muppets have just put 5 goals past us a few times lately, or had finished above us in the league every year for a generation!
You don’t hear Atletico players claiming to be a bigger club than Real before every derby and after every decent start to the season.
Have you ever known a more deluded set of optimists?
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February 24th, 2013 at 3:52 pm
I tend to agree thta 4 more players will do and judging from the cost of today, thats about anywhere from 60million to 100 million. (15 to 25 M on average). If they can set aside 70 M, that can pretty much do the work provided that they make the team work together.
Back four aside, the mid and front are excellent to good individually but they never really deliver. We expect the front to be a bit shaky because Giroud and Poldolski are both new and numbers show that Giroud does not have a good goal to chance ratio but he is someone to deal with physical teams which he does ok. Polodolski is clinical but not creative winger. Walcott isn’t a creative winger and aren’t reliable neither. This front only works with proper support and that should come from the mid.
This midfield should dominate most of the games but they rarely do which is puzzling; then there’s the back four which are at least descent players from their experience and quality but perform hopelessly.
If this team works out, FA + 2 or 3 in EPL should be the right result.
And trying to win every trophy is stupid. This is exactly what AW thought when he did no bring in the major players half time of the match.
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February 24th, 2013 at 4:17 pm
Utter rubbish
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February 24th, 2013 at 4:22 pm
I think I see Ian wright’s point. We do need to buy players around the 30 million mark or they would not be much of an improvement of the current players we have. The 70 million will probably rise with player sales, but I think Wenger needs around 150 million. I think the 70 million allocated to Wenger includes player wages, if so 70 million will not go far.
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February 24th, 2013 at 4:37 pm
Wanger doesn’t need such amount of money 2 transform Arsenal but I think 100M is enough 2 sign 5 quality players d club needed. It is not waisting huge amount of money on player who will not make any impact. E.g Torres.
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February 24th, 2013 at 5:07 pm
Arsenal can spend £200m but it won’t make any difference. It’s a change of mentality that’s needed at the club. Either the manager should change his ways or be replaced. There are too many players in the comfort zone at Arsenal and any new signings will fall in to the same trap. The manager has to take the blame for making certain players believe they are better than what they are. Put simply, if you walked in to work tomorrow and your boss doubled your wages for doing the same work and performing at the same level, you’d happily take it. This is what has happened at Arsenal. This is the reason that WE see no desire and hunger in the performances and this is the reason that we are now happy with 4th place!
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
Plus Wenger has nil clue about tactics … ie. less than any team Manager in EPL. He has weighed the team down for too long with his personal crusade.
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:18 pm
Yet with little resources he has kept the team in the top end of the EPL. I think you are the one who is intellectually unsound otherwise you would never say that Wenger knows nothing about tactics. You are the untrained and unproven expert who knows more everybody. Pls stop displaying your ignorance.
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February 24th, 2013 at 5:34 pm
So what your saying is your happy with top 4?
Typical attitude that got us in this mess. There is NO reason Arsenal can not be top again and soon. Sure at the moment Man City is spending big and getting top players as did Chelsea before BUT in the end it is the money alone that attracts players to City hell they last won a title in 1967/68 so they are hardly a dream club of any player just their agent’s who dream of one thing Money.
I think Arsneal Does need to spend more when the player they want and REALLY need is also being targeted by the big spenders it is the sad reality of the sport at the moment but really if you look at CLUB value and Revenue Arsenal and Liverpool are SITLL in better shape then City because as quick as that money was injected into that club it can also be taken away unless they also get the club’s budget within it’s Revenue they are not sustainable.
I suppose that is the end goal as City had a much bigger mountain to climb then Chelsea did as they had nothing the last title they won was in 1967/68 and the club historically has always been way behind their City Rivals. SO they had to spend big because if Manchester is on a players target ManU is going to be first choice. In fact If Playing in the EPL is a player’s goal take away the stupid money City is spending and they could not get anyone to sign with them based on club history.
Arsenal is in a good position it is one of the most successful clubs in England Behind ManU and Liverpool so it is NOT in ManCities position in that it HAS to splash cash alone to get a player to want to play for them but they do unfortunately need to be in the ball park when it comes to the VERY Best players. Except for a few REALLY top players at City most of their players are OVER paid and do not deserve the money they are getting. I really do not care if Gaël Clichy and Nasri want to get paid more then they are worth If city wants them we can find plenty of payers just as good but if Arsenal wanted to get Yaya Toure then spend what ever it takes. And we should have done what ever it took to KEEP RVP. AND Cesc Fabergas.
But their were 3 players Arsenal had and I think never really recovered from they where Vieira, Bergkamp and Henry. Yaya could have replaced Vieira but who really could replace Henry? or Bergkamp? (well RVP when fit was close)
If Neymar was thinking of coming to England (which he is not he has one target and that is Spain at RM or barca.) I would say OK get in a bidding war with city is justified. But what most of their players make is just Stupid.
Arsenal Does need to spend but their is NO reason to compete like City for Every player on the market. We need to spend Smart only pay big for big players NOT big heads .
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February 24th, 2013 at 5:36 pm
Most importantly, Arsene must get rid of all the rubbish players in the squad first, then think about their replacements. This would help him to reduce the amount of wages and bring in top quality.
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 9:18 pm
Of course but because of Wenger’s failed and absurd ‘ flat wage structure ‘ these players won’t go !!
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:31 pm
A team is a squad not few players with fantastic salaries. How can a player earn £200,000 per week? What is he playing and another on £20,000 on the same field? No, this is absurd and unjust since all players are exposed to same risk and one must complement the other. Players must not be overpaid, it is ruining football and also none must be underemunetated for harmony to reign. See the personality clashes on parade at Real, Chelsea and Zenit St Petetsburg. Mutiny among players is only avoided by realistic wage structure, Messi or Ronaldo alone cannot do the job of eleven players, though they can imfluence the outcome of a match.
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February 24th, 2013 at 5:55 pm
We need 300 million spent, not car foot sale, where wenger shops
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February 24th, 2013 at 5:59 pm
There is a lot of room for manouevre in our current squad.For instance getting shot of Arshavin and santos would free up about 150 k a week in wages.Wright is always looking to put the boot in as wenger bombed him out quickstyle.You ever hear dixon keown winterburn or viera rounding on arsene?Anyway two or three
new faces in the summer and well be fine
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 9:21 pm
There is little room for manouevre where such players – and others – have been given big contracts and are detemined to sit tight until that contract runs down. It has been costing us huge and will take still more years to wash out. Well done Wenger fans … and don’t blame the Board … that was to abide by Wenger’s wishes – nobody else.
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:37 pm
Possibly you would be happy if you are sent away prematurely from your present job. In every organization, you will always see some underperformers. Why dont you pry into the wage bill of Chelsea, Man U, City and Liverpool to discover huge wastages they live with? If they are better, you can them blame Wenger and Arsenal.
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February 24th, 2013 at 6:28 pm
Ian is Wright,Wright,Wright !
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:40 pm
Ian is wrong and jealous. A man who could not influence his step son to sign for Arsenal should not be taken seriously.
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February 24th, 2013 at 8:50 pm
Yeah, look at the table, the fixture list and our bank balance. If Wenger and Stevie can coach the team to defend a bit better as a team we have a great shot at 3rd. It’s a tough ask but a win against Spurs will set us up perfectly. The run of games is never easy but looking at the fixtures Chelsea could blow it all again and finish 5th. I’ll be honest 3rd would be an awesome finish with the quality of teams in the Prem now. Lose the deadwood and grab 3 players of half decent quality (cb, def mid and another striker) and we are back in the running (spend 30 to 45). Knock Giroud as much as you like but we are a smoother running machine when he is up front. Also, it’s good to see the goals coming from all over the pitch. We aren’t a one man show and the Summer signings will only get better.
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chris from Cambridge Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 9:23 pm
Do you not know that Bould was coaching the team’s defensive approach early season and was then stopped from doing so. Since about mid autumn he has been relegated to the Pat Rice status of YES MAN !!
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Oguntuase Amos Reply:
February 24th, 2013 at 10:38 pm
How did you know, hearsay.
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February 24th, 2013 at 9:33 pm
what summer signings? you are in cuckoo land.
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February 24th, 2013 at 10:44 pm
All in all,Wenger moved us from Highbury to Emirates and he’s gona be the one to bring us back to the glory dayz…
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February 24th, 2013 at 10:49 pm
The figure suggested is about as idiotic as Wright himself. I think a change in strategy away from possible overseas gems to players already ‘blooded’ for the English game (eg. Claudio Yacob (DM) and Anthony knockaert (wing)). That said we should GRAB Younes Belhander at any cost! I would rather ANOTHER MANAGER be in charge of ?70m but if AW is ‘cemented’ for another year then so be it.
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