Re: Arsenal - the way the league is at the moment with ultra wealthy individuals running clubs as playthings unless Arsenal are prepared to match their spend and risk the future of the club (which they won't) then Southampton have as much chance of winning the league if their owner is prepared to invest in fees and wages and Aresenal are not. If this continues there will come a time when Arsenal are selling their players to the likes of Southampton or any other club with wealthy owners. Players do not care who they play for as long as they get the most cash they can and the best chance of winning something. Ten years ago who would have chosen to go to Man City over Man U or Arsenal? Twenty years ago who would have gone to Chelsea over Arsenal or Man U yet both get first crack at the top players now because they pay the big bucks.
I accept that there will be kudos in playing for the likes of Arsenal for some time to come as they are a big, big club but if they continue to miss out on players it will drop them out of the Champions League which will then start a viscious circle of reduced income = weaker players = lower league place = reduced income etc etc.
The only consolation for Arsenal fans is that they are doing things the "right" way and that their club is not beholden to an individual and is likely to be around in 20 years time regardless of how the finances in football go. If meaningful financial fair play ever comes in they will be world beaters but whether it can ever happen is open to question.
financial fair play is never going to mean what it should mean though. If anything it will just reinforce the dominance of the premierleague, and make it much harder for promoted teams to stand a chance of survival. The whole things riddled with scheisters sadly.

