Why Do We Assume Stan Kroenke Will Spend In January? By Dan Smith
There seems to be a repeating theme when debating Arteta’s future. Some feel our manager should have January to get rid of some ‘deadwood’ and bring in his own players. Others feel the Spaniard shouldn’t be trusted with cash in the next transfer window.
Yet here’s a question.
Why are so many gooners assuming we will be spending money next month?
No one at the club has confirmed that. In fact in the last two winter windows we could only afford loans and that was when we were not without match day revenue and facing the possibility of not qualifying for Europe.
There seems to be a theory that we have talent who are out of contract in the summer and therefore will free up millions off the wage bill. Again though, who said that money will be reinvested in the team? It could just as likely sit in the bank.
If you look at history, it’s far from certain Stan Kroenke will free up funds in January.
In April 2011, The American essentially became in charge of the club when he took his shares to 62.8 percent. At that point he was already over the 29.99 threshold that meant he had to make an offer for everyone’s shares.
From that point forward Arsenal could be whatever he wanted them to be. The reason Alisher Usmanov sold up was Stan’s insistence that Arsenal be nothing more than a self-financed model.
So let’s say 2012 was the first January window with Mr Kroenke in control…….
This is what we spent:
Jan 12- Players were loaned in and out
Jan 13- 9 million was spent on Monreal
Jan 14- We famously loaned Kim Kalstrom who arrived with a bad back
We made some money be selling Frimpong and Yennaris
Jan 15 – Bought Gabriel for 13 million
Jan 16 Bought Elneny for 13 million
Jan 17 Nothing
Jan 18- We signed Aubameyang but only as a PR move to appease fans upset about the loss of Sanchez, who we swapped with Mkhitaryan.
Auba cost us 57 million. Some of that was raised by selling Walcott for 20 million, Giroud for 15 and Coquelin for 12. So a net spend of 10 million.
Jan 19- Suarez on loan.
Jan 20- We loaned Mari (with an agreement to buy for 7 million) and Cedric.
So in 9 years we have never spent more in January than over 13 million.
At those times on and off the pitch we were in healthier situations and that was the scale of investment, so why now be any different when we are less stable?
If you remember our return from the first lockdown, it was stressed that qualifying for Europe or not would impact our transfer policy. Even when we did, we still felt it was needed to make 55 staff redundant having already asked the squad to take a pay reduction.
So financially this is not a year when our owner will want to spend if he doesn’t have to.
You could argue that the threat of relegation might force them to act but I still maintain it would take a lot for Arsenal to finish in the bottom three.
If the Kroenke family feared that then they would appoint a new manager.
The fact Edu last week said Arteta was doing a ‘great job’ indicates that’s not going to happen in the short term.
Hiring an Allegri for example would be the costly option. Not just would he demand a far bigger salary, he would want to bring in his own players.
From a business point of view, as long as we finish above 17th, the League season is a write off, so we wait until the summer to invest. For years he hasn’t cared where we finish as long as he’s part of the lucrative TV contract, so don’t assume he cares where we finish as long as it’s not 18th – 20th.
Arteta will be so relieved to still be employed, he will tolerate limitations. Which is why he got the job in the first place remember?
He was the cheap option, so grateful to have such a high-profile job he will accept a lack of ambition.
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