Raul Sanllehi – Transfers Not A Priority? What? By Dan Smith
I have always referred to Arteta as the cheap option. I refuse to believe, like Emery before him, that they were the top names on any shortlist. Would they have got any other top job?
What I believe is an Allegri, Ancelotti, etc would only take the job if they saw ambition. These are winners who, long term, would want to have a realistic chance of challenging for the title (yes, I’m saying Everton have more ambition then us). The moment they heard our transfer budget they would have ended negotiations. Luis Enrique has pretty much confirmed that in the past.
So, the criteria had to be someone who would accept limited funds for the sake of getting such a post. Emery wasn’t getting an offer from a bigger club while for Arteta, the reward is worth the risk for your first job. His worst-case scenario is that he gets a payoff and goes and works with Pep Guardiola again.
Don’t get me wrong Arteta could be the next top coach yet, if he is, then Stan Kroenke stumbled on him. All our owner cares about is someone to train the current squad who won’t question the lack of desire to make us great again.
We don’t know the fact and figures of how this pandemic is going to affect each club. Yet why have I got the feeling the priority this summer will be yet again lowering the wage bill, with Raul Sanllehi saying transfers are not a priority. Excuse me?
We talk about how much Ozil gets paid. This man is equally given thousands of pounds a week to identify signings. If that’s not his priority, why is he here? Isn’t that literally his job? Shouldn’t he been scouting the world every day? He should have a shortlist ready to go especially given our current position. If being 9th is not a time to think we might need better players, when is?
Remember the days when we mocked Mr Wenger for ‘only’ finishing 4th? Would you take that now? Or do some still have an agenda where we can’t admit we have gone backwards? That letting contracts run down is still happening.
Let’s not hide behind what’s going on in the world and pretend that’s the only reason we now won’t buy a Coutinho or Upamecano. Those are the signings a Man United or Chelsea will make, while our recruitment team will again be asked to find value.
We are yet again going to lose our best player, so common sense suggests if we are currently in 9th, then lose our top scorer, serious investment is needed for us to even challenge for the top 4 again?
Why are the players giving up 12.5% of their wages just to be told we can only afford free agents and loan signings? Why can clubs go after our best talent, yet a West Ham and Leicester manage to price theirs out of the market? Put it this way if those clubs do sell a Madison or Rice it will be over the odds, around 60-80 million.
No wonder Ozil wants to wait and see the true financial hit. If the season gets finished that’s the TV companies kept happy. If not, how do we know what Sky and BT will negotiate (they might simply ask for the same price, more games next campaign?).
Do clubs have insurance?
Will FIFA step in with a loan?
Either way we can’t afford seeing those teams above us to strengthen while we don’t. Our owner needs to put a cash flow in now, or else we are going to see the gap between ourselves and the top get bigger.
The frustrating thing is even if you go down the route of free transfers there are options available, but it takes you being aggressive. We should be offering a Cavani, Meunier, Chiellini, etc, a contract, but again we will care too much about our wage bill. Those are three free transfers who would make us better. Yet we will focus on their age not that in the short term they would get you back in the Champions League.
We could swap an Auba with a Coutinho, but again will prioritise salary over making us better. Even a Willian or Fraser, who would offer goals from midfield, there is talk that we feel their demands are too expensive.
There’s some who will defend Stan Kroenke with the usual, ‘How do you know what he’s thinking’? I just base it on the last decade, where even losing Champions Football hasn’t made him invest in the club because TV money makes him enough revenue, it doesn’t really matter to him where we finish.
Why are we the only one of the top 6 who sell our best players? When have we last bought Man City’s, Chelsea’s or Manchester United’s best players? When have we even managed to get the best player out of those not in the top 6? Why does it feel every window we end up slashing our wage bill?
Remember in a business sense we have always been run well, so surely we should be best qualified to take advantage if others have to tighten their belts? If players are taking 12.5% cut why is Raul Sanllehi saying transfers are not a priority? This is why an Allegri is not our manager because he would ask those questions. He would know that you can’t close a 42-point gap on Liverpool with loans and slashing your wage bill. He wouldn’t accept the signing of Mari just because he’s 10 million. He (and others) wouldn’t accept the job, because the Kroenke family don’t care about us being champions again. In fact, as long as they are in charge, don’t consider us a big club anymore.
That’s why Arteta got the job. Like Emery, for the sake of getting the job he will tolerate the lack of ambition and won’t question anything. Worst case for him is he’s got a job waiting for him at Man City.
The irony being a man great at finding value (Arsene Wenger) we got rid of to be in 9th yet gooners won’t admit we gone backwards?
Stan Kroenke doesn’t care, it’s a lot cheaper paying Arteta then Wenger.
That’s all our owner cares about, saving money.
Dan Smith