Liam Brady says Arsenal has made a lot of wrong decisions previously and that the Gunners will need some time before they can get back to the top of Premier League football again.
The Gunners have struggled for much of this campaign and they have just managed to turn a run of over seven domestic games without a win around by beating Chelsea yesterday.
Brady was speaking before the game and he said that Arsenal has squandered a lot of money on the signing of players that haven’t helped the team.
He said that they have wasted over £300m over the last few years in trying to get the club back to the top of the league table.
He slammed the signing of Nicolas Pepe for £72m, a fee that Lille has never seen before Arsenal splashed out on the underperforming Ivorian.
He says that things need to be done differently at the ownership and board level, else the club will continue to struggle.
‘If you look at Gazidis’s track record on buying players and that of Raul Sanllehi – who has recently left the club – the money that’s been spent in the last five or six years, you’re talking £300 to 350 million,’ Brady said on the Keys and Grey podcast.
‘Just look at the players we have signed under Sanllehi alone. Pepe for £72m. Lille have never sold a player for £72m. Gazidis had this idea he wanted to take the power of signing players away from the manager.
‘Unless things change with the owners and board we will be treading water for the next few years. I feel sorry for Mikel Arteta, having to unravel all this.
‘It’s going to take time. I can’t see them getting back to the top unless you’ve got a brilliant manager. Arteta might be that, there’s been pluses and minuses so far but he’s got to be given time to make sense of this.’
I can’t disagree with anything he says, my hero from back in the day. A proper player with a left foot like a magic wand and a right foot only useful for standing on. Pepe could emulate him if played in the correct position, if he played with passion and if he really tried…..oh forget it!
At last GB, someone who knows what went on under gazidis at the club!!
I have tried to explain how gazidis wanted and took over control from AW and how Auba was his signing.
It was also his and kronkie’s final decision over the Ozil contract, although AW obviously had input.
I wonder if Liam’s words will sink in to those fans who refused to acknowledge what gazidis was responsible for?
As for Liam, what a great tactician and creator he was and his analysis of where we are at this moment is, unfortunately, a true picture of where we are.
Ken, no sensible person doesn’t see the damage that Gazidis wrought at the Arsenal.
Liam Brady, was not only a great player in the true sense of that assessment, but did an excellent job while heading the Arsenal Academy, Harry Kane notwithstanding (the decision Kane wouldn’t make it, haunted him). It was the Gazidis regime, which determined “Chippy” Brady was surplus to requirements.
One of our finest.
Awesome player.
Chippy Brady.
Like he still says us as we.
Like Wrighty.
Thierry.
Robbie.
Hleb
Etc
And after squandering all this money, they are trying to justify their bone-headed decisions to the fans by constantly selecting and starting non-performing players – all to the detriment of the young players. This is the never ending cycle or trap of poor decision-making at the highest level. If we fail to keep Saliba and Balogun, it will be another stark admission of failure.
I think the only permanent solution for the club is the appointment of a long term architect to assume responsibilities for recruitment and player development decisions. Equally as important, the board need to pay more attention to rules and processes being used to green-light new acquisitions.
As a club, we took the Wegner era for granted and are just beginning to see for ourselves the risks of failing to plan effectively for the future – 15th position, bloated salaries……
Good to hear that Liam Brady still cares about this club. For me the decade after he left Arsenal were the bleakest as a supporter. He and Stapleton promised so much. Thank god O Leary remained loyal. On a parallel with today, there were small incremental changes happening which us impatient fans couldn’t just yet perceive, such as the development of youngsters like Davis, Thomas, Roecastle, Roberts and Parlour, plus the arrivals of Wright and Merson. All that was needed was a good manager to bring it together.
Our hope rests on our young players. I just hope we have what it takes to keep them and see them mature
Brady is correct to a certain extent.From 2010 Arsenal have ceased to be competitive with the oil sheiks making MC a force . Since then Chelsea,Liverpool and Spurs have upped the ante.
Whether it will be the hoped for turning point after the Chelsea defeat,remains to be seen. Games against WBA and Brighton wont be easy.Big Sam has just nicked a point off Liverpool. He could do likew ise or even win.
It depends on the ref. Liverpool and Wolves were denied legitimate penalties.
Hopefully the var can bring more consistency.
Still hard to believe they left Saha stranded for this kid that’s refused to play, full of ingratitude, he knows it took us 3 good players to sign him for 72 mil & still refuses to reciprocate the good gesture, the problem is that we can’t even get half of what we paid for him at his current form so let him go back to where he came from and the deal canceled. We’ve had enough.