Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis met with supporters in midweek. He was keen to stress the club do not need Moscow based oligarch Ali Usmanov becoming part of the board.
Is he right? Do Arsenal need to splash the big bucks to compete?
A telling tale of the times was the Eden Hazard transfer saga. While Manchester United and Manchester City could point to their top two finishes as reasons to tempt the Belgian, Arsenal were never really seen as serious contenders.
Why was this, was it their wage structure not allowing them to compete, or was it the fact the club and manager simply refuse to sanction a £30 million plus bid on a player no matter how talented.
The fact he ended up with Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea only served to underline the lack of ambition in the transfer market which is associated with Arsenal nowadays.
While a policy of refusing to cave into the arena of paying mega-money for stars is one to be admired in principle, it is not one which has served Arsenal well on the pitch in recent years.
Supporters will not need reminding the club has gone seven years without lifting a trophy, and star players have departed citing a lack of ambition, while there are big question marks over Robin van Persie’s current intentions.
A solution could just be staring Arsenal in the face, although their current board are keen to refuse it, and they have valid reasons for doing so, yet as time goes on without silverware – supporters grow more and more restless.
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Usmanov is one of Arsenal’s largest shareholders, owning almost a third of the club, but has yet to put up an offer to mount a takeover bid. Until that happens, or he is invited onto the board, he remains very much an outsider; and he is believed to be too getting restless at the side’s lack of success.
If he were to join the board, he would be able to put up his large wealth as assets with which to buy players. An investment of £80 million for example would do wonders for the club’s current playing staff, and surely be a sign of intent to compete with the big boys at home and abroad, and of course convince the club’s captain that the club are going forward.
Right now with a resurgent Chelsea, Arsenal will be many people’s tips for fourth again- Sure they love to prove people wrong, but there is no mistaking they are up against it.
The club’s biggest majority shareholder at present Stan Kroenke has been dubbed ‘Silent Stan’ as is his reluctance to get involved in club affairs, and the American is yet to put up a substantial sum of money for Arsenal to invest.
As well as Kroenke and Gazidis, an opponent of Usmanov is manager Arsene Wenger, who prides himself on his vision for the club, and is adamant Arsenal are pushing in the right direction.
A hostile takeover bid could even upset Wenger to the point that he decides to resign from the club, an issue which would deeply divide fans, and ultimately be a big risk from day one of any new era.
Majority overseas investors are always difficult to see as having the club’s best interests at heart. At Portsmouth and Blackburn the effects have been disastrous, while the latest developments at Cardiff City have been an affront to the club’s tradition and heritage. Arsenal, a proud historic club, will be keen to stay with tradition. With Usmanov, his exact intentions remain unclear, and a lack of clarity becomes a risk to supporters.
Perhaps the biggest issue which would be against Usmanov, is the fact his time may already have passed. As Gazidis alluded to, Arsenal are the club hoping more than any other Premier League club that UEFA’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules have an effect.
The intention of FFP is to create a more level playing field, rather than one where Manchester City are allowed to have net spend over the past five seasons £300 million higher than any body else. No wonder they are the current champions.
From the 2013-14 season, UEFA will have the power to ban clubs for the following season from European competition if they do not comply with strict spending rules. Clubs will do their best to explore loopholes in the system, and even perhaps challenge it legally. If it is not effective it will be a blow to teams like Arsenal, but right now how it will pan out is unclear.
This means the current time is perhaps not the right one for Usmanov to begin plowing millions into the club’s transfer budget, but if he took over, he could simply supplement what is already there with a top-up, to keep it within limits.
It is food for thought for Arsenal fans, they need help from somewhere to compete with the big spenders. It is perhaps better to pin their hopes on FFP rather than the ‘if you can’t beat them join them’ approach of a largely mysterious Uzbek.
Do Arsenal need Usmanov?
image: © wonker
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