Source: SKY_Sports
Invest to impress
Nigel Winterburn believes Manchester City will not break into the Premier League's top four this season even if they do sign Kolo Toure from Arsenal.
The former England defender thinks the race for the crown will once again be between Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal this season - providing Gunners manager Arsene Wenger bolsters his squad.
Toure is on the brink of following Emmanuel Adebayor from the Emirates to City, who have already added the likes of Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry to their ranks thanks to the wealth of owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
But Winterburn told Sky Sports News that it may be some time before top-flight silverware arrives at Eastlands.
"Manchester City have got the buying power, they can bring in a lot of players," he said. "It's going to be interesting to see how they set up as a team, how they keep all of those players happy.
"Arsenal have got their style of play, their continuity, their younger players have had a couple of seasons playing in the Premiership.
"I still think this season will be the same top four but what we will get is probably the likes of Man City, Everton and Aston Villa pushing for a place in that top four and I think that's why it is going to be an absolutely fantastic season."
Forward
Silverware has also been in short supply in recent seasons at Arsenal, who have not won a trophy since 2005, and so far they have only added Belgian midfielder Thomas Vermaelen and Jamie Edge, formerly of Cheltenham, to their squad.
Winterburn reflected: "Given the quality of player that has left the club people will always say that it looks like they are standing still or have taken a slight step backwards but if they get players in and then start to move forward then obviously it will be very, very good for the club.
"The supporters are sitting on the fence at the moment. They've had great success in the past but now all of a sudden that success has dried up and they are now saying 'when are we going to win our next title?'"
Value
Arsenal face a tricky start to the new season, which begins with a trip to Everton on August 15, and Winterburn is adamant that boss Wenger must invest most of the money gained from the sale of Adebayor and Toure back into the squad before then.
"They probably need to bring in another three players to help that squad," he added. "You have to trust Arsene Wenger. He seems to be able to pull a gem out of the bag and it looks as though he has got to do it again because he has let two big players go.
"Arsenal have always had a wage structure, a valuation of buying and selling players and Arsene Wenger has a policy that if a player expresses a desire to leave he will try to talk him out of it if he wants him to stay.
"But if at the end of it that player still insists he wants to leave then Arsene Wenger will always let him and try to create the best value for money for that player that he can.
"What Arsene Wenger now has to do is try and replenish this squad, bring players back in and make Arsenal stronger again. We may not know a lot about the players that come into the squad but if they make Arsenal stronger then we have to believe in what Arsene is doing."
