This summer, when Arsenal splashed out a record fee to bring in Alexandre Lacazette to improve our scoring potential we were hoping that this signalled a bit more ambition from the Gunners heirarchy, but now the French striker himself has admitted that he was told that our target was just to get into the Top Four. When asked about our title chances, Lacazette said: “It would be really complicated to win it at this point,”
“We would really need a miracle. City would need to lose a lot of their games and we know their record. But the goal in coming here was always to qualify for the Champions League and if we could get the title, fantastic.”
I am surprised that a top striker like Laca would join a club that didn’t honestly have the ambition to go to the very top and at least make the effort to win the League title, but he also admitted that it was the French connection of Wenger and the club that had made him want to join us in the first place. “It was really the meeting with the coach that made me want to come here, it was something I had thought about since I was little,” he continued.
“I had spoken about it a lot for many years with Francis Coquelin but it was really all about that meeting with the coach.
“I benefit from his experience on a daily basis, especially his past and how he has worked with various strikers.
“We are always chatting about small things I can do to make little improvements. It will be a really nice record for him too.”
So he obviously based his decision to join us on Wenger’s past record and his ability to converse with Wenger and the players in his native language, rather than our ambition….
Admin
If fans want the club to be like Utd, Chelsea and City
keep spending and keep changing players and coaches
Then fans must come out and admit
Take action to change the club
or do not keep complaining
I want Arsenal to win the league again, what’s wrong with that
Well it was clear for us rational fans that we started the season without ANY INTENT to challenge for the title.
But now we know officially as well that it was never Wenger’s objective.
Nothing like having some ambition.
It is clear what the reasoning is – to make money from the CL – not to win it, not to win anything at the club.
I hate this board of directors and manager more each day.
I see this season going exactly the same way as last.
In fact, I hope it does.
Only a venomous, vitriolic and hostile crowd will get these old coffin dodgers out of the club.
Starting with the manager first.
WENGER OUT !!!!!!!!
If your gonna hope at least hope for the best, right now that would be Europa trophy and maybe a decent second half season that puts us above Che Liv Tott along with beating city at the Emirates. I would never wish my team to fail and I never bet against my own team, hate it when people I knew used to bet against their team because they thought it was a win win situation, unless the game tied.
But it is NOT the best, if a few wins but not enough to seriously challenge for the title(even in a normal Prem season without City being all conquering) means Wenger starts next season still here, rather than being forced out. If you only want fourth, fifth sixth and are content with that , then yes you must be thrilled we still have Wenger. But if, like all fans with a backbone, you believe in your soul we can and SHOULD do far better, you will want him OUT ASAP, WHATEVER IT TAKES.
Was it ever in doubt that Stan wanted minimum outlay for maximum financial reward, he’s a investor not a fan. This is what we’re stuck with until he decides he can no longer make money from us. The real question is could a different manager do better with the team and what money is available to Wenger.
That would depend on what new manager we had. If it were my cat. my dead granny or my Mother-in -Law, I say no they would not do better. But if it were any manager at all who had ever managed any PREM or Football League side, I say , with our resources, he WOULD do better.
And where are Man United, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Liverpool whose intention was to win the league? All 11 or more points behind Man City. Why are Man City so far away from everyone, unbridled spending. How much did Pep spend in his two years at City? According to publicly available information Man City spent 462 million Euro or 405 million pounds in players acquisition since the arrival of Pepguadiola.
Over the same period Arsenal spent 141 million pounds. Its net income before tax over the same period was 47.5 million pounds. If the club was to show ambition as you want us to make believe and compete toe to toe with Man City on spending, it needed to spend an extra 364 million pounds, and possibly dispose 5 or 6 players currently on the club’s balance sheet. Assuming those players would sign 5 year contracts, the amortization charge would have been 72.8 million pounds over the period in question.
Such players could easily have commanded salaries in the region of 170k per week translating into an annual salary of 8.160 million pounds each and 40.8 million pounds per annum combined. There is the argument that other players would have been moved on hence making savings on salaries. Those savings on wages would not have exceeded 20 million pounds. And considering that the bulk of those whom we are told must go are home grown, Ramsey, Coqualin, Walcot, Iwobi, Wilshire, Chambers; there definitely would have been a huge premium on acquiring home grown players that could easily add another 75 million on the purchase bill.
We also get told that purchased player lead to sale of replica jerseys. But how much will be incremental revenue as opposed to switch in purchases? A person who would have bought Jack’s jersey will opt to buy player A’s jersey, that does not count as incremental revenue. Fan X who would not have bought a replica jersey but did so because of player A counts. At most such incremental sales would bring 5 million pounds extra. Overall there would have been an extra charge of 92 million pounds or so emanating from competing toe to toe with Man City on the market.
This would have led to a loss before tax of 45 million pounds over the period in question. For how long would that continue, without the club going into administration?
Great post!
Chelsea won it last year, and have won it 5 times since we won it. United won it 5 years ago and have won it a record of 13 times (PL titles). Leicester won it when everyone else were struggling. Spurs and Pool haven’t won it, but we should always compare ourselves to champions, not teams who don’t win anything. Besides, they still play better football than us.
United have spent more in the last 5 years than City, why have they not won it? Manager. Sir Alex was on other level.
We have spent approx £320 millions on players in the past 5 seasons. Yet, we haven’t made any progression. We have actually gone backwards. Why? Manager.
Other teams are spending more than us, fine. That’s the name of the game now. Man City was bought for £200 millions and are now worth of 2 billion. How come? Success. So spending money brings in money.
Funny thing is, Arsene Wenger has a degree on Economics and he’s called Le Professor, but he couldn’t see the inflation of player prices coming. The club could’ve made a ton of profit (like Chelsea have done) with short-term spending. And maybe even get little more success.
Also we are losing 100 millions worth of players who don’t want to play for us, and the club losing 100 millions worth of players doesn’t seem to concern the club. SO THE MONEY CLEARLY ISN’T THE ISSUE.
We are one of the richest clubs in the world, we have money. Didn’t Gazidis himself say so? Years gone by, players have come in and gone out, faculty changes, different excuses have been thrown in (stadium debt etc.) but one thing has not changed. It’s the worlds second highest paid football manager and his non-existent tactical approach to ever-changing game of football.
Of the teams you have mentioned only Leicester is an exception. Man United spent big to win trophies. The acquisitions of Berbatov, Van Persie, Vidic, Tavez, who all were incremental additions on a team that had been there since the late 1990s. In contrast, after 2006 Arsenal had a completely new team whose bench averaged 19 years old. One or two injuries to first team players meant collapse of campaign. Remember 2007/2008, when Arsenal were 7 points or so clear by February? Eduardo got wacked and that was end of our season.
The Chelsea team that won it last season was the same team that won it with Mourinho, so you can kindly work out how much Mourinho spent on that team: Fabrigas, Willian, Matic, Costa, etc. The club had spent huge on players like Harzard, Oscar, Cahill, Azu, Ivanovic, etc in seasons before.
In the final analysis you cannot discount the impact of money on the competitiveness of teams in the EPL these days.
Man U suffered from change of coaches, while spending big in the past 4 seasons, they have not been able to make any meaningful challenges to the title mainly because they are virtually rebuilding every two seasons. Van Gal came and brought a whole host of new players some of whom turned out to be average: Blind, Rojo, Darmian, Di Maria, Falcao, Depay, Mata, Martial, etc. Mourinho came in and brought his own players: Matic, Pogba, Zilatan, Baily, that number 20, Lukaku, Lindilof, etc. If they would make a mistake of sacking him next season it will be another rebuilding exercise as the new coach brings his own players.
Why did Pep manage to build a team in two years while Mourinho failed with almost the same funds? Maybe Pep is a better coach than Mou, or the latter emphasized ego over quality. Look at players brought in by Pep: Sane, Jesus, Bernado Silva, Eder, the injured left back, De Bryne, Walker, etc. Mou: Zilatan, Pogba, Lukaku, to just focus on highlight names. Pep’s new acquisitions did not have the fame of those three brought by Mou, yet they are far far more effective than the famous three. So Man U with their huge resources could be failing by looking for big big name players who cost much but contribute relatively less.
Arsenal will win the league once in a while, up and until the club ditches the self sustaining model. If it so ditches the model, it would also have ditched fans like me. I will never ever support a club whose claim to trophies are alms from some rich individuals.
Let me remind you even driving, needs running cost. The other clubs are at least trying. Did Kroenke and gang ever try, NO.
The PHW’s shit about the war chest for players, was nothing but a blatant lie.
Pay peanuts and get monkeys.
Did u say arsenal Will win the league once in a while.. evidence of that?
There are millions of examples of teams winning despite their spending power, athletico Madrid,Valencia,deportvo la coruna in spain. Dortmund, Stuttgart, Wolfsburg in Germany. Montpellier,Bordeaux, Monaco in France. Leicester. Others have performed well despite not winning eg Leipzig, Burnley now, athletico Madrid etc. However arsenal as a club cannot claim poverty when compared to these clubs. Arsenal is Burnley every means among the richest clubs on the planet. It has chosen a commendable model. That model doesn’t seem to be compatible with winning the big stuff, but at least it’s putting money in some people’s pockets. There’s no shame accepting that your priority is the money, instead of being envious of other team’s achievement, they’re pursuing their priorities ,you’re yours. You can’t eat your cake and have it
What you have said makes much FINANCIAL SENSE. But what you have NOT said is that if Guariola had been hired by our dithering board , before City snapped him up and when he was free and keen to come to England, we would now be far along the road that City have reached and City less far ahead. The manager – not merely money available – is the most vital post in any club. We have chosen to stick for over two decades with a markedly inferior manager(esp when compared to our top rivals). That cannot be seriously doubted by any fan with a decent IQ and the ability merely to see what is staring us all in the face and has been for many years past too. I would point out that unsung Burnley currently sit fourth in the table and that Eddie Howe has done wonders with Bournemouth ,and both clubs have the worst Prem income and gates. Though I definitely want better than both as our next manager, if I were given the choice of EITHER to replace Wenger OR no one else, I would take either in a heartbeat and I suggest almost all Gooners would do so also. Money is definitely important BUT a top manager and esp one who can pro-actively and hungrily coach, intensively and who is driven, is FAR MORE IMPORTANT. And do remember , we may not have Citys income but we still have substantial money, which Wenger has mostly wasted by collecting and keeping deadwood for years and by buying duds like Xhaka. I suggest that is more the whole story than your rather slanted post, even though what you say, as far as it goes, is largely true(though actually not entirely true).
Beyond City, is everyone else not competing only for top 4? It’s only delusion when United believe they are “title rivals” with city or when the ever effusive Pochettino arrogantly says Tottenham’s “ambition” is the league or champions league and not in the domestic cups (man hasn’t won a pin but at Wembley a beggar surely has a choice).
LOL
But, Isn’t that our goal every year?
Well the last 13 years at least lol
I give this to Wenger. He’s consistent (not in a good way)
What an utterly reciculous assumption that we aim for 4th. Every bloody team aims to win the league and the very minimum is to get 4th. For goodness sake there is so much “spin” on what people say these days it’s like being surrounded by liars.
Absolutely! We all know fulll well that all twenty PREM clubs aim for and fully expect to seriously challenge for title. Yes , Swansea, West Brom and West Ham are bound to go on unbeaten runs now, as their fans rightfully expect , while City are equally likely not to win another game this season. I predict all twenty clubs are separated by just 3 points at seasons end and I further predict I can get out of this straitjacket any time I want to.
Lacazettes quoted comments would seem to indicate that he actually receives coaching tips from Wenger. Like “score a goal Alexandre please” or “pass to Sanchez” and other tactical gems for which Wenger is famous. OF COURSE HIS INSIGHTFUL AND DETAILED DEFENSIVE COACHING TOO IS LEGENDARY, ISN’T IT! Our decade long impenetrable defence is entirely down to Wenger and his passion to keep the ball out of our net, as we all know! Eh? What’s that? What do you mean , we don’t! But after all, it is not Wengers fault. No, clearly the blame lies either with the ref or the fourth official, as we all know! Eh? What’s that…… etc!
I’m surprised Lacazette said this.
Is it me or does this come off as the wrong mentality yet again. Wenger spoke with him so he knows the guy and his ambitions, came here to help us reach fourth place, that sucks donkey balls. I hope it’s out of context and he’s prob just reacting to the position we are in now, because city have surprised people this year as last season they were a calamity at the back.
I said the other day that Wenger should just admit it to himself that this team was never gonna win top honours. I guess he prob has if this is anything to go by.
Seriously Arsenal, get your bloody act together, Che City Manu have more money than us but they can’t buy all the best players, there is more than enough for us to build a great side also. Stop rewarding players for minimum requirement, tie their money to success and you will see much greater effort.
It is most sickening to see a lack of effort to reinforce and then bemoaning about bad luck for injured players.
And stop trying to convert attackers to be untilised as defensive players. We ended up with plentiful masters of none in the squad. It just destroyed their morale altogether.