Comments on: Arsenal fans should be careful what they wish for in the transfer market

By: Will Taylor

Will Taylor — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:44:50 +0000

I’m sorry but those deals were anything but bargains, each player arrived for an inflated fee on HUGE wages. This isn’t Wenger’s fault, merely a necessary evil of securing players on deadline day. Check out this blog on Arsenal Truth for a pretty accurate breakdown of the wage budget.

http://arsenaltruth.squarespace.com/arsenal-truth/2012/11/4/arsenals-1434m-wage-bill-exposed.html

Obviously it’s impossible to know for sure the exact wages but I feel confident in the assumption that each new arrival was on at least £50k. Why bother saving money on transfer fees if the wages are going to be just as high?

Arsenal’s policy has always been about buying for the future but Mertesacker is 28, Santos 29 and Arteta 30. They’re hardly spring chickens are they? How many seasons have they got left at Arsenal, 2 maybe 3? Plus Arsenal’s loan deal for Benayoun would have included a high wage contribution and a loan fee, otherwise it wouldn’t have been worth Chelsea loaning him in the first place.

Finally, if you think the return of Rosicky and Diaby will drastically improve fortunes on the pitch then I really do pity you. Arsenal’s run of fixtures in January would be a tough task for a good squad, let alone one littered with underperforming players.

By: zdzis

zdzis — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 22:21:15 +0000

“The once unwavering support for manager Arsene Wenger appears to be waning, whose only source of resolution appears to involve spending ‘big’ in January.”
You realise this reads as: “the waning is resolute only if a lot of money is spent in January”?
Two: “Wenger did something unprecedented. He panicked. In came Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker, Andre Santos, Park Chu-Young and Yossi Benayoun, in deals that completely disregarded Arsenal’s strict financial policy.”
Please define the policy first. For all we know, all of those deals were bargains, with Arteta and Mertesacker both costing ca. £11m apiece and Park and Santos ca. £5m apiece. Benayoun was signed on loan. Incidentally, one could also surmise neither of these players was awarded a particularly high salary, meaning that all met the requirements of Arsenal’s financial policy. Neither is it strange for Arsenal to acquire as many players in one transfer window – there were typically 3 new players in every transfer window, so having 5 new faces (or 6, including Gervinho) doesn’t constitute a major change.
Third: Yes, Wenger did say January window is bollocks. But guess what, he also said loaning players above 21 is stupid. And yet, here he is moving for Benayoun.
Finally: Your analysis of Arsenal likely demise is poignant and well-researched… NOT! You completely missed the fact that several players are coming back from injury, in some cases players of great value who have contributed very little to the team this season (e.g. Rosicky).
In the end, Daniel is right – you don’t have anything to say, do you?

PS. Drop the cap in “Deja vu” – it’s just a phrase, not a brand name.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 17:22:28 +0000

Awful article. Really had no direction or substance. Pick a new career.