Can anybody explain to me how Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is worth £17 million? Was that what he had to pay or did Wenger just pay over the top to ensure the purchase, I knew of him in Southampton but you are paying the same as people payed the likes of Downing and Young...
I think that figure assumes that he make 100 appearances for Arsenal and England and is sold in the next 10 years for 100M. IN other words, the fee was about 5M-7M potentially rising to 17M.
I don't read the Sun Arsenal have signed Southampton winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for a fee reported to be worth £15m. The 17-year-old has joined on a long-term contract, costing £12m up front with a further £3m in add-ons. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14448089.stm
I am sure he has faults, I'm just not sure we have enough information to know what they are. I am reasonably sure that at least 75% of fans couldn't coach/manage a team of 11 year olds (I have and it isn't as easy as it might seem), yet thay harp on about mistakes Wenger has made, as if they all hold UEFA B qualifications. they probably couldn't fill out a team sheet correctly! Maybe Wenger has finally lost it, but the guy has kept us at the top end for years now and I don't think many of the pundits berating him could have managed us into the top 4for even 1 season.
Fans should also realise that Wenger bid record £35 Million for Mario Goetze. (which was confirmed by Dortmund) this shows he isn't afraid to spend if he's confident the player is worth the fee. (Who has just scored for Germany.) Wenger only bid for Hazard and Benayoun after he's bid for Goetze was rejected. I think we'll go back in for him in January. Good thing too because he's absolutely incredible.
I'l believe he is prepared to spend that much when he makes the signing. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew it wouldn't be enough but made it anyway to get the fans onside.
That would make sense if Arsenal had released the statement about the bid but they did'nt. The coach of Dortmund mentioned it the day after the window closed. Goetze is emerging as one of Germany best players in a long long time. He is of a simular level of talent to Messi/Ronaldo. The thing is Dortmund are league champions in a strong German league thats getting more and more popular (its now the second most watched league in the World). The are also playing in the Champions League and now dont need to sell any of their star players. Wenger may want him but he will cost a small fortune.
I don't think that's a guaranteed certainty - the fact that he was ready to agree a new contract indicates that there must have been a chance he would stay. Why hand power to Arsenal to determine his future if he was determined to leave? But then we'll never know. Even discounting the profit from property sales and other stuff you were still way more profitable than pretty much anyone else in the PL last year. Running your club within its means is admirable, but then in the long term it will not help you keep pace with clubs like Liverpool who have similar revenues but run at break even. Having wages at 49% puts them at almost a fifth below the recommended sustainable level of 60%, which implies there could be flexibility to move the pay structure without risking the financial stability of the club. And personally I don't think giving Nasri pay parity with Fabregas would have distorted the pay structure, particularly given that Fabregas was probably never going to sign another contract and so couldn't really have complained about his wages. I don't think wealth turns to greed, but it turns to a sense of entitlement, which is largely driven by the agents. It becomes a case of "I am an important player who contributes a certain to the team therefore I deserve to get wages that reflect this relative to other players". Like you say with VDV, he was happy to take a pay cut when moving from Real to Spurs because he knew he would be their highest earner, and hence the top dog at the club. That's worth as much for a player's ego as having a higher salary but being surrounded by higher earners. As I said before on another thread about this, studies have shown that people would be happier earning £30k a year for doing a certain job if they knew their peers were earning £20k a year for the same work than they would be if earning £40k a year for doing a certain job if they knew their peers were earning £50k a year. It's all about comparing themselves to the rest of the squad and wanting to feel "valued".
Blackburn - Money ran out. While Newcastle never won anything and just got back to their normal level after a few peak years. Arsenal have been in the top for 14 years in a row. A bit of a difference.
Very good point. I generally find the way some people paint it as though all footballers are just naturally greedy a bit unrealistic.
I read before that the Lyon chairman come out yesterday and said Wenger had made a bid for Yohan Gourcuff on the last day. Is he that stupid that he knew Fabregas and Nasri were going to leave this summer, waits until the last week to sell them and has virtually no time to find a replacement. I'm sorry but the man is an idiot. Either he had no intention of spending the money, and as somebody said made the bids for Gourcuff and Gotze to get the fans onside or he is just plain stupid. I honestly don't understand him anymore.
It gets better, apparently he was on prepared to take Gourcuff on loan . They paid about 20 million for him last summer too.
Liverpool have purchased players out of anguish? Two of those players Liverpool supposeably purchased out of anguish Liverpool outbid Arsene Wenger for (Downing and Enrique). Jose Enrique is in the top 3 left backs in the premiership. Alongside Ashley Cole and Patrice Evra. Stewart Downing was exactly what Arsenal needed, he's solid and he's dependable. No way in any shape or form did Kenny Dalglish sign players in anguish. Wenger signed in desperation. He made one good signing on dead-line day, not a great signing but a good signing and that was Per Mertsacker. The other two, Park Chu Young, a player from the French second division. Mikel Arteta was a replacement for Fabregas, he like Fabregas is a crab that can't get in the Spanish national team. Wenger baulked at paying £17 million for Cahill, when he paid £15 million for Oxlaide Chamberlain who has the same amount of premiership experience as Raheem Sterling...none. Now that makes little or no sense. Its Wengers dithering thats causing him to lose good players and he's replacing them with lesser players. He should have learnt from Rafa Benitez. Like Rafa, it will all end in tears.
