Source: Telegraph
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's market forces leaves the Waitrose tills empty
Reports of the death of Serie A appear to have been exaggerated. Liverpool were greeted in Florence with banners proclaiming your “story is a legend” and talked up by everyone at Fiorentina (except Adrian Mutu) beforehand. But they appeared to be flattered in to submission when their defending was more Coloccini than catenaccio.
A four pronged procession by English clubs in to the knockout stages of the Champions League? Not this time perhaps. Expect Fiorentina to be welcomed a touch more warmly on their own European travels in future.
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What do Jose Mourinho, Arsène Wenger and Rafa Benítez have in common? Fantastic mangers, lousy players. Roy Keane, by contrast, had sides built around him. But a great player does not necessarily a great manager make (stop nodding in agreement so forcefully Tranmere fans, you’ll hurt your necks) as Ipswich, a club that know a thing or two about great managers, are finding out.
A disastrous start to the season for the Tractor Boys appeared to be turning a corner last night, presumably holding up a line of holiday traffic as it did so, at Sheffield United. But, 3-1 up with ten minutes to go, Keane’s men snatched a draw from the jaws of victory and dropped to the foot of the Championship.
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Roque Santa Cruz, one match in to his Manchester City career, reckons the club are not just looking for a top four finish this season – they are after the title. “We are not only looking for that in the future,” said the Paraguayan bench-warmer. “We are looking to do that now.”
For anyone waiting for the City bubble to burst, Santa Cruz has surely just sharpened a pin with which to pop it, no?
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ALL LOST IN THE SUPERMARKET
While Liverpool were going through a very sticky purple patch over in Italy, there were no such problems for Arsenal who, despite their traditional aversion to taking any of their first 10 chances against opposition they are more dominant over than any of the ‘business woman’ hired by Max Mosley, made short work of Olympiakos.
Two straight wins in the Champions League and, those troublesome trips to Manchester aside, a swashbuckling start to their Premier League campaign and Arsène Wenger is feeling vindicated in his frugality.
Before the season started, Arsenal were supposed to be in turmoil. Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure left, with only some no-name from Belgium of all places brought in.
Their top four status was in peril. Wenger’s job was on the line. It was all going to end in tears.
As it turns out, Thomas Vermaelen has already shown himself to be another masterstroke of wheeling and dealing by Wenger. A return of three goals for a centre back is a decent haul for a season, let alone six games. And even the brooding malcontent’s brooding malcontent, William Gallas, appears to have had his spirits raised by his partnership with the Belgian.
Robin van Persie is proving he can lead the line alone and Thomas Rosicky has finally returned to fitness; just as well considering the tracing paper thin fragility of Samir Nasri and Theo Walcott.
Defying the current, unforgiving, Sharia-strict laws of economics everyone else is forced to work under these days, Arsenal have even posted record profits. Coupled with the transfer surplus gifted to them by the largesse of Manchester City, Wenger’s pockets are straining under the weight of the spare cash he has sloshing about.
“Everyone wants me to splash out because we have posted good financial results but you cannot buy anyone now. It is closed,” said Wenger, barely audible over the building work going on to strengthen the floorboards in the room in the Emirates where the petty cash is kept.
“Can you buy players at Waitrose? It’s not a supermarket, you can only use the transfer market you have.”
At least he’s talking about Waitrose. Elsewhere in the top end of the league, with the notably exceptions of Tottenham and City, clubs have not so much been downgrading to Tecos or even Asda but rather setting up their own market stalls and eBay accounts to offload some of the family jewels.
And down at Portsmouth the transfer deadline day trolley dash around Lidl managed to fill the cupboard ahead of a long, hard winter but the fare being served up by them is less than appetising.
Birmingham and Wolves, too, appear to have based their transfer policy on advice from Kerry Katona, punting on quantity over quality and scooping up the footballing equivalent of fifty pieces of frozen barbecue meat for a fiver available at Iceland.
In truth Wenger is blessed with enough spare cash to dine out on Harrods hampers and ready meals from M&S food for years to come.
But he won’t. The Frenchman treats Arsenal’s money like his own. A director's dream then. But the fans are less than happy.
Wenger produces quality on a self imposed budget but those who regularly turn out at the Emirates can’t help but wonder, then, what could be achieved if he actually used some of the transfer kitty at his disposal.
For now all is well. But as suspensions, fatigue and injuries take their toll over the season, Wenger’s still callow squad will be tested. And Wenger’s loath to dip in to the midseason sales, isn’t he? What? Oh yeah, except for when he bought Theo Walcott.
And Emmanuel Eboué. Oh, and Emmanuel Adebayor. Right, yeah, and January was when he splurged on Jose Antonio Reyes, too, now the thought occurs. And that little lot cost the thick end of £30 million. Which is much more than the £15 million spent on Andrei Arshavin at the start of this year. Even when the transfer window was officially shut.
Perhaps the Holloway Road branch of Waitrose isn't in danger of going out of business any time soon after all.
