SOTERIS CHARALAMBOUS
Opinion 1 August 3, 2009
Transfer misery?
Soteris Charalambous
Like many of you’ve I’ve read countless stories criticising our recent transfer policy. Much of it is set off by the media and the ‘right here, right now’ approach to life that we live in. But Arsene Wenger has always operated on a very different level. He’s never, ever spent big money on an established star (and probably never will). Every purchase, even the expensive ones that proved less effective like Sylvain Wiltord, Jose Reyes and Francis Jeffers had a long term view behind them. However for every Jeffers there have been several outstanding successes and Wenger has proven that success on the pitch isn’t necessarily something that can be only be bought.
While there is no doubt his ability to compete in the transfer market has been restricted by the decision to build one of the finest stadiums in the world, I doubt very much that even if we hadn’t built the Emirates stadium the approach would have been significantly different.
One of Wenger’s greatest strengths is his ability to spot football talent early. It’s mind-boggling to imagine the ‘what if’ scenario had our attempts to sign Ronaldinho and Cristiano Ronaldo had been successful. So with an established tack record for being able to identify the very best in the world before anyone else why is it so difficult for some people to accept that the young squad he has already assembled is capable of winning major titles.
The current favourite statistic that gets trundled out in every article that bashes Wenger and Arsenal has been how long since we’ve won a major trophy. It’s not an entirely illegitimate complaint, but it is amplified by the phenomenal success we have enjoyed under Wenger in the last 14 years. However, the key factor during our ‘lean’ period has been that we have competed for major trophies including a Champions League final, the Carling Cup final and a Premiership title bid that collapsed much like Eduardo’s leg in that fateful game at St Andrews.
This summer we have sold Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure for massive profit. Very few fans will have been sad to see the back of Adebayor, and while sentimentally Toure’s departure was keenly felt, most agreed that his best performances we behind him. Emmanuel Eboue (to Fiorentina) and Philipe Senderos (to Everton) may be next through the exit door and both will also generate significant profit on their original cost without many tears being shed.
I can think of no manager who comes close to performing as well in the transfer market. However, this is missing the point slightly. While some fear we are strengthening a potential rival, we have sold players who performed below the standards expect of this club and who had significant differences with other players in the dressing room. Adebayor’s spat with Nicklas Bendtner was very public, while Toure’s with William Gallas was conducted behind closed doors. However, both have in all likelihood had a significant negative effect on the team.
One aspect of Wenger’s Arsenal teams that is rarely discussed is that they thrive with momentum. Once the momentum got going they looked invincible (and eventually became invincible), but once that momentum was shattered the loss in form could be dramatic. However, the amount of time it took to regain is very much affected by the unity within the squad. We may have lost some big names, but I’m certain it is already a much happier squad. Again, it is no guarantee of success, but neither is spending huge sums of money, although it can help significantly. So don’t be surprised if only a small fraction of the money generated is utilised this summer. It will be spent when the time is right.
We could have competed with Barcelona and Tottenham to sign Andrey Arshavin last summer but the fee would have been well in excess of what we actually paid in the winter. The risk when adopting that policy is that you sometimes miss out, but when you’re as good at seeking out the next big thing in football as Wenger I think it is a risk you can take.