Sure but other things come into account than purely just wages when it comes to attracting players. The City, the stadium, the manager, the fans, the training facilities, personally favouritism and wether the player he feels he can progress there etc.. etc..
There were no reports that I remember at the time we were linked with him, BEFORE the deadline for the clause in his contract to be triggered (£17m fee), that Chelsea were interested in Mata so ALTBOULI is right, had we not penny pinched we could've got Mata on lower wages than what moneybags Chelsea came in with in the end.
This guy was in the Ligue 1 team of the season, while I don't think M'vila was. So he can't be all that bad.
Two seperate points combined to draw the wrong conclusion. City and Chelsea can take our players by offering more - no doubt, but the reason money is not the over riding factor is because other players are available for much less who are just as good as Nasri, or Adebayor, etc.. You are seriously confusing two issues.
Well looks like either/or to me, they both look like they could do a job for us ... maybe we will get both .... and get an even better combination than Vieira/Petit .... I am drooling ....
There's no confusion. City and Chelsea can take our players by offering them more. They can snap up our potential targets by offering them more (Mata) and the cumulative effect is that the rest of the transfer market is squeezed because there are more teams chasing the next tier of 'affordable' players.
Where you are confused is with your thinking on the 'next tier'. We picked up Podolski for £10m. Dzecko cost £27m. Nasri £20+ million, and Rosicky stepped up and played just as well this year as Nasri. James Milner £20+M? We're not battling for the next tier of talent at all. City are paying over the odds for many players that are no better than what we have or can bring in.
I wouldn't disagree that City are paying over the odds for players. But they still have the edge on bringing in the top players like Yaya Toure, Kun Aguero etc, that we can't compete with. So we do have to look at the next tier. I would agree that Podolski is a top signing though, and at a reasonable price. But that was largely because he was in the last year of his contract. City, don't have to wait for that luxury, they can pluck any player they want - at any stage of his career.
Aguero? We already have a better striker than him. We have the footballer of the year. Toure - a beast and a great player - but it's not like we couldnt have had him ourselves... City won the title because of great tactics, great team play, and fantastic mentality, allied with the ability to spend large amounts of money. They were able to build a team quickly. Thats the advantage of money, to be able to change it around almost instantly, but it doesnt mean you are guaranteed a higher 'tier' of player at all. In fact I look through their team and its only really Toure that stands out as someone who is REALLY a tier above what we have in that position, yet they have spent 10 times more.
I'd say relative to the rest of the league, they've spent over the odds for their players. But you can't doubt the quality through the squad. Lescott, Zabaletta, Kompany, Silva, Yaya Toure, Tevez, Balotelli, Aguero etc As for Yaya Toure, we would have had him, but for a problem with a work permit.
AND players will be tempted to ManU or ManC - because they can expect to WIN things. It is now SO long ago at Arsenal that players won't believe we are capable of challenging. The rot set in years ago - but clever trevor Wenger bought cheap or not at all. This train of events is the natural conclusion of the policy.
I'd add Komany to the list of better than we have (along with Toure)... the rest...not really. Lescott - do me a favour Zabaletta - he'd be torn to shreds in our system Silva - poor second half of the season. Wouldnt swap him for Wilshere and Rosicky was better than him in the second half of the season. Tevez - jeez i wouldn't have him anywhere near our squad. He was only a negative factor this year Balotelli Ageuro - as I said we already have a better player in every facet of the game. The only element of your 'not far off' statements that I agree with is that we are only 2-3 players away from having the talent to win the PL. That despite spending a fraction of what City have.
