Reports have recently emerged that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been granted a £50 Million war chest to add players during the coming summer transfer window. The Daily Mail reported that with these funds, Wenger plans on shoring up his squad’s defense, as he plans to target Chelsea reserve keeper Petr Cech (good luck convincing Jose Mourinho to sell Cech to a domestic rival), and centre-backs Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund) and Aleksandar Dragovic (Dynamo Kiev). There are also indications he’s interested in Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin, who would play in a holding midfielder role. It appears that now is the time for the annual “Arsenal war chest” discussion that dominates the months before every summer transfer window.
That’s right, we’ve been here before. Last year, Wenger was granted a £100 Million war chest (He’s only getting half as much as last year, is he losing his touch?). In 2013 , it was £70 Million. In November 2012, the number was £150 Million. I could go on, but you get the idea. And yet each summer, Arsenal does not come close to those numbers in what it spends to bring in new players. The concept of Arsenal’s war chest is so ridiculous that it has even spawned a Twitter account .
— Arsenal War Chest (@ArsenalWarChest) September 2, 2013
What exactly is the point of this yearly ritual? I suppose Arsenal fans deserve the right to delude themselves that this will finally be the year when Wenger pries open his wallet and utilizes the club’s incredible financial resources to spend with the likes of Chelsea and the two clubs in Manchester. But folks, it is just not going to happen. Wenger is an economist and he cannot seem to embrace the new spend-happy culture in modern football. He has dipped his toe into the transfer market occasionally, with everything from massive successes (Alexis Sanchez), to so-so acquisitions (Mesuit Ozil), to disappointments (Danny Welbeck…FA Cup performance against United aside). But typically, Wenger gets out-bid for the top performers and then laments the spend-happy culture that now exists.
Arsene's plea to Arsenal's season ticket holders. Photo: threeandin.com
Arsenal fans deserve more than this. I do not agree with a lot of what prominent Gooner Piers Morgan has to say on a variety of topics. But I find myself both entertained and in agreement with him when he rails about Wenger on Twitter (#wengerout) following every disappointing Arsenal result. Arsenal has not won the league since the year of the Invincibles in 2003-04, and hasn’t finished higher than third since the following season. It has never won the Champions League. For a club like Arsenal, with its resources and its proud history of success, the goal should not be finishing fourth, even if Wenger thinks that merits a "trophy." This club should be focused on winning the league, nothing less. Its supporters have earned that and have the right to expect more than a single FA Cup victory in a decade.
For all the Gooners out there, I hope that this year is different and Wenger really does pay the money required to revamp his squad this summer. If he doesn’t, and if this is yet another false hope to Arsenal fans, then perhaps next season there should be another caretaker in charge of Arsenal’s elusive war chest.
Follow Mike Smith on Twitter @thefootiegent
As a Chelsea fan he doesn’t REALLY want to see Wenger spend money...he’s just being nice.
