Does Xhaka’s transfer fee mean Arsenal are no longer afraid to spend big?
A few seasons ago Arsenal fans were stuck watching a bunch of ‘mediocre’ players represent the famous Arsenal in a side that had serious cause for concern in every position on the pitch. The last few years however have been quite fruitful for Arsene Wenger’s side, with big name players finally signing for the Gunners.
These past few seasons have been relatively exciting for Arsenal fans with several big name players joining the club after many seasons of transfer disappointment. Although fans of the club will still ultimately expect more from Arsene Wenger and the board, considering the money the club has available for transfers, fans cannot be entirely disappointed with the calibre of signings we have recently signed.
Mesut Ozil began the trend in 2013 by signing for the Arsenal for a club record £42 million from Spanish giants Real Madrid. It showed true intent and ambition to aim for bigger things once again at Arsenal football club. Alexis Sanchez then followed Ozil to Arsenal in the next summer transfer window, and then Petr Cech followed a year later. These recent signings have dramatically improved the strength and quality of the Arsenal side by signing true winners with a passionate mentality to be successful. Now that Arsenal have signed Granit Xhaka, subject to confirmation, for yet another big money fee, it suggests that perhaps Arsene Wenger is no longer afraid to splash the cash.
Xhaka’s fee is supposedly in the region of £30 million plus, according to Sky Sports, and will therefore by Arsenal’s third most expensive player after Ozil and Sanchez. The recent big money signings prove that perhaps Wenger wasn’t being tight with money all those years and in fact he was truly restricted by the club whilst the Emirates stadium was still being paid off.
Whilst Xhaka’s big move is surely not going to be the last incoming signing we will see this summer, it remains undecided whether we will see another top calibre of player joining the club for a high amount of money. Of course high prices do not always guarantee the best players; you only have to look at City, Chelsea and Real Madrid to understand how a club can pay over the odds for a player. However of course it is generally considered the higher the price the better quality of player and if the Gunners do make a second big money signing this summer, Arsenal fans could be in for an exciting start to next season, that will be met with much eagerly awaited levels of anticipation.
BY AH