Let's just say that that was hypothetically true for a minute... You're saying that THAT is the reason you're glad we didn't sign him? Christ.
Worse, if that player turns out to be expensive, ineffective, clogging up the wage bill and preventing us from buying another CF.
I'm saying that £36m for an unproven 19 year old is a massive gamble that people would have accused Wenger of panic buying.
. Heaven forbid Wenger had an excuse for not buying someone. And that's why you're glad we didn't sign him? Because you care what people think rather than what might be best for Arsenal? Christ
You're missing the point. £36m, potentially rising to something like £52m for Martial is not worth it. It's a panic buy from LVG and you would have been all over Wenger like a rash if he'd done likewise.
I'm sorry Piskie, but this simply isn't true. Some reports suggested that we pulled out of the Cavani deal because he had no re-sale value which is a bad decision, if true. Jackson Martinez did not go for the price Martial did, neither did Mandzukic. Morata would not have cost that much. Lacazette may have cost in the region of £30m but at least he has a bit more of a track record, likewise with Aubameyang. Bacca also didn't cost that much. Higuain would have been a decent option to go back for, too. Then there's youngsters with good goals-to-games records like Domenico Berardi who would not have cost that much and Paco Alcacer. The point is there were options there that we could have gone for which could have been less than the prices you quoted. Just because United overpaid for one player, doesn't mean we would have to.
Well I think that's all speculative at best. But I do agree that we should have gone for mandzukic when he was available.