Arsene: We're Ready to Spend Big Now.

Arsene Wenger has set his sights on two new signings after revealing Arsenal are now ready to ‘spend big’.

The Gunners' policy of developing young players and cashing in on their key men in recent seasons has frustrated fans and has been blamed for the club’s failure to win any silverware since 2005.

But Wenger insists the north Londoners are willing to compete with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City for big-name signings in a bid to land major honours again.

“My plan is to keep all the players we have and then to add maybe if possible two new players to the squad. We will spend big,” said the Frenchman, in a wide-ranging interview with Al Jazeera TV.

“We had restricted finances because we had to pay the stadium back. Look at any other club that has done that, they have gone down.

“We stayed at the top level, yes without winning the Premier League, but we are always at the top level and now we have come out in a much stronger position financially. So we can spend.
My plan is to keep all the players we have and then to add maybe if possible two new players to the squad— Arsene Wenger

"But our way is a bit like Barcelona as well, to produce the core of the team from inside and add from outside the players who give really a plus."

Sunday’s defeat at home to Manchester City left Arsenal six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham but Wenger is adamant the Gunners, who have a game in hand on their north London rivals, will occupy one of the Champions League qualification spots come the end of the season.

He continued: “It’s very difficult to predict. Certainly Manchester United and Manchester City will be in there.

“After that is very open. Hopefully we will be in there. I’m convinced we will be.”

Wenger's position has been called into question in recent years and, though the Frenchman has no immediate plans to step aside, he admits his time at the Emirates could soon be up.

"I am 63 years old and I will not work until 100 years of age but the most important thing is you give your best," he said. "How long will I stay? I have a contract until 2014 and I always respect my contract.

"It is important the club goes in the right direction. We have a very young team with fantastic qualities and I try to help them to transform their qualities into positive results.

"Let’s not forget last season we finished third in the league and, as long as that’s seen as a disaster, it’s not too bad for the club."

http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-n...gnings-arsenal-boss-admits-we’re-ready-s-1893


In this 40min interview Arsene Wenger discusses a host of issues in an interview with Al Jazeera TV, including how he came to manage Arsenal, the club's chances of beating Bayern Munich in the Champions League last 16, and whether Thierry Henry could return to the Emirates Stadium this month.

http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/ri...acing-van-persie-and-his-arsenal-reign-189303


The Interesting thing about these interviews are that they have evidently been 'put out' by the Club to ease some of the growing discontent.
If Wenger does start spending (and that's a big if) I have no doubts he can still take us forward.

 

This story is doing the rounds of all the media now
You just have to hope that it's true about transfer targets

 

All talk no action, don't forget, you've still 24 million quid from us.

 

Spent it on Pod and Cazorla I think.

 

Pod was a done deal way before RVP left.

 

Funny, everybody is so caught up in the short term. I read that article and the thing that jumped out at me was how true the statement,

“Let’s not forget that last year we finished third [in the Premier League] as long as that is seen as a disaster, it is not too bad for the future of the club.”

And I realized how true it was.

 

Isco please.

 

True in basic term's but if considered against actually challenging for the title, that 3rd was 19points off the pace.

Its been over 4 years since Arsenal were within single digit points of the title and over 7 years since they broke into the top2.

I think its fair to say that's its in the medium term, thats fans are concerned.
IE: Nearly always out of the title race by Jan/Feb and an average of almost 18 points off the champions in the 8 years since the title.

 

Yeah, I'm not disputing that everybody wants more and if anything you are reinforcing my point. 3rd place, for all the reasons you have stated, was a disaster. I'm not disputing that, and neither you can see, was Wenger. We have reached a point in our club's history where a "bad" 3rd place is a disaster. I am 50 years old, and I can't think of a time before now when I would agree with anyone on that.

How many clubs not run by a billionaire can say that?

What Wenger is saying is that we may not be realizing our potential, but at least that potential is there. What we have to realize is that in 2000 we were no different to Aston Villa, Everton, Spurs and Newcastle, and we were behind Liverpool in as far as what we could expect.

Now we are way ahead of them.

 

But that's like a club in Scotland saying they'd be proud of finishing 2nd in the SPL. Yeah, you might finish 2nd, but it's not as if you challenged the team above you... more that you're better than all the other mediocre clubs.

 

It is quite funny that everybody is coming back and saying, no no, it really was a disaster. Yup, this is not arguing with you, it *really* was a disaster.

 

I do hope we bring in some quality. I think we need a top striker above all because, although he's decent, Giroud is not an adequate replacement for RVP in my opinion. He missed a clear header with the goal at his mercy at the weekend and has fluffed quite a few this season. When you rely on a solitary striker, as we do in our current formation, he needs to be lethal when he gets a whiff of the goal. RVP is, Giroud isn't. A tireless, physical DM is also needed I think. That way we could rotate the more slight, skillful players and avoid the kind of burnout we have seen in Cazorla recently. Personnel-wise, I still don't think that there is much wrong with our defence, it's just the way we play constantly leaves them exposed. A more destructive, defensive midfielder would help remedy this problem. M'Vila and Llorente would do nicely.

 

Talk is cheap, but not quite as cheap as Arsenal.

 

So it follows that because Southampton spend less than Arsenal, Southampton are even cheaper and more miserly?

 

You're absolutely right. Finishing 3rd, 19 points off 2nd and only 1 point above 4th, is a big, big achievement.

 

I think you are missing the point by a long, long way. No one is saying that it IS a big achievement or an achievement at all. It *IS* a disaster. This is a comment on expectation not on achievement. 20 years ago no one at Arsenal ever had anything close to that level of expectation.

 

Yeah, its that £390million that we spent on a new stadium that makes us cheap.


2 new players and keep everyone we've got. Spend big. Sounds too good to be true.

A DM and a top striker please, or player who can swap the wing and striker with Theo.

 

If we're spending big, Edinson Cavani please....

(Back in the real world now)

If we're spending big, how about Capoue and any striker available?

 

Llorente has signed for Juve,and it look's like M'vila is on his way to QPR

 

I'm going to listen to the interview now.

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