The increasing threat of missing out on Champions League? A recognition that a youth philosophy has failed? A show of ambition to players and fans? What has altered Arsene Wenger’s transfer policy at Arsenal?
The acquisition of Santi Cazorla from Malaga for a reported £16.5m, in addition to £11.5m Podolski and £10.5m Giroud, took Arsenal’s summer spending to an approximate £38.5m and continues a trend in purchasing older, proven players, which began at the end of last summer’s transfer window.
Last summer, Wenger oversaw the departures of star players Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri for a combined £55m but it was not until the final day of the transfer window that Wenger found adequate additions to a weakened squad. Perhaps compelled by Arsenal’s winless start to the season – including the 8-2 loss to Manchester United – Wenger made necessary moves to bring in Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker, André Santos, Yossi Benayoun and Chu-Young Park.
The signings, with the exception of Arteta, have failed to substantiate themselves at Arsenal but what stuck out were the fees paid for these comparatively older players. 31-year-old Benayoun was signed on loan, but Arteta and Mertesacker were 29 and 26 respectively and each cost £10m. At 28-years-old, Brazilian André Santos cost the Gunners £6m. Only the signing of Oxlade-Chamberlain aligned with Wenger’s usual transfer policy.
However, having seen a young team destroyed at Old Trafford in the 8-2 loss, was this Wenger placing an emphasis on experience? For years in the past, Arsene Wenger had advocated his transfer policy by signing young players with the potential to grow at Arsenal. The previous year’s major signing was 24-year-old Laurent Koscielny and in the summer of 2009, Arsenal’s sole acquisition was 23-year-old defender Thomas Vermaelen for £10.5m. These signings were more in conformity with Wenger’s philosophy where hefty transfer fees would only be sanctioned on the most promising of young players.
Initially, the philosophy and emphasis on youth was one that had been born out of financial restraint due to the financing of the Emirates Stadium and despite a couple of trophyless years, the development of the club’s promising youth had encouraged fans that a major trophy was imminent. But several years later, Arsenal have gone seven years without a trophy and players such as Carlos Vela, Denilson, Nicklas Bendtner and countless other Carling Cup stars have been unable to realise the potential that Arsenal fans had once hoped for.
Is the club’s recent transfer activity thus an admission that Arsenal’s reliance on youth has failed to materialise? The recent signings of older, renowned players is reversing the club’s early youth promotion and indeed, for fans who have urged Wenger and the board to invest in the squad, signings such as 27-year-olds Cazorla and Podolski represent immediate impact players. It has been said that Arsenal have only ever been one or two big-name signings away from posing a credible threat in the Premier League and this summer’s signings belong to a class of players that Arsenal fans have long sought after.
This past season, despite eventually finishing third, Arsenal were perilously close to missing out on Champions League qualification and only finished a point ahead of Europa League qualifiers Tottenham Hotspur. Considering Chelsea’s anomalous 6th place finish, and their increasing transfer expenditure, and Tottenham’s prominence in the fight for Champions League qualification, the Premier League has become progressively more competitive at the top end. As their rivals continue to buy and improve, Arsenal have started to appropriate clubs’ strategies of continually improving the squad through investment in a realisation that deprivation of the financial benefits of the Champions League could be more costly than the acquisition of pricey talent.
Arsenal’s signings of Podolski, Giroud and now Cazorla are attestation to their changing strategy and will see them boast experienced and established names to aid the club win its first trophy in seven years. And perhaps the level of spending will convince fans and players alike that the team is finally ready to compete with Chelsea and the Manchester clubs. As the club begins to reap the financial rewards of the Emirates Stadium, could Arsenal be spending similar money on big players for years to come?
images: © Matt and Kim Rudge, © Matt and Kim Rudge
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
