Former Arsenal executive David Dein has opened up about competing with Chelsea and Manchester City when they were bought by new billionaire owners.
Arsenal is traditionally one of the biggest clubs in England and that includes their transfer spending and on-field success.
However, in the early 2000s, Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea and started spending huge sums of money to bolster their squad.
He also made Jose Mourinho their latest manager, with the Portuguese manager bringing unprecedented success to the West London club, at the expense of their rivals.
Arsenal saw them sign Ashley Cole from under their noses after offering the Englishman more money, and Dein has now revealed the difference.
He writes in his new book Calling the Shots, as quoted by The Sun:
“Arsene [Wenger] and I would come out of board meetings feeling we’d been knocking our heads against a brick wall.
“We lost Ashley Cole over £5,000 a week. It was a very difficult time.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Money is the key ingredient in football now and no one can fault the top clubs for spending enormous sums of money to bolster their squads and make them competitive.
Stan Kroenke has made Arsenal ambitious again with his spending and he must sustain it before we can remain a big club in England.
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This was well known at the time as Cole revealed after his transfer. He had been verbally offered £95,000 a week and whilst driving heard it had been reduced to £90,000 a week and said he nearly crashed his car! That’s why he’s now known as Cashley Cole😳
£60k and £55k respectively, but you’re right, this isn’t news, just touting a book.
One of the gravest mistakes the club ever did.Sent out the message that We were 2nd rate.To let the chavs nab our captain was criminal negligence.To Maureen as well who despised us.Was from here on in we were on a downward curve.It’s only now wecappear to be getting our pride back.
Akll keen Gooners THINK we know the story of how Cashley having been denied his extra £5 k pw so called promise , then chose to ditch us for Chelsea. With the hindsight of this unpleasant man we now have, I reason that he would not have remained long with us even had we given him that extra £5 k.
So it becomes one of those sort of “legendary” stories that we all put down to a ” meagre five grand” a week. (Such as the Great Fire of London in 1666 ending the plague, except that it did NOT, as the plague was almost gone, BEFORE the fire took hold.)
But we ignore the more likely truth that this CASHLEY HOLE CREATURE, would not have shown any loyalty to us after that, when a better offer elsewhere came calling, as it surely would have done, sooner or later.
Once a rat, always a rat, IMO. ITS THE NATURE OF THE BEAST SADLY!
What was Cole’s part of the contract? We always see what the club are putting on the table but never what the player’s contribution will be. Just playing each week— maybe?? No. They are money orientated. Pay on performance and see what a difference it would make.
Cashley Cole,van persie,clichy,samir nasri.