A frequent caveat in transfer stories pertaining to Arsenal of late, has been ‘as long as they qualify for the Champions League’. Various big name players could join the club, just as long as 4th spot is secured.
Well, now that requirement is fulfilled, Arsenal can look to the summer transfer window properly, and begin planning how best to strengthen the squad for bigger and better things.
Arsenal have got around £70m to play with, factoring in the Emirates advance and a possible advance from Puma’s kit deal this could rise to £100m. The big question is whether Arsene will spend it, and if so, on what.
Crunch time
Arsene Wenger’s favourite line of recent, more austere transfer windows, has been ‘if we find the right player, we will do it’. At times this has led to a signing, other times (most times), it has not.
Will this summer be any different?
There was a feeling last season that Arsenal might spend big, but that didn’t really materialise. A £33m outlay was tempered by the sales of Van Persie and Song.
There should be no such issues this time.
Arsenal are releasing a number of squad players this year, so they’ll need to be replaced. But will they? Will Arsene Wenger spend money in a big way, or only on select players like before?
Of course, you can do both at once, but I’m talking about quantity of ‘in’ transfers.
Arsene Wenger has said he will ‘be in the market in a very proactive’ way this summer, suggesting he wants to get business done early. Can big business be tied up by early July, say, or are there already, perhaps cheaper deals in place?
Names like Stevan Jovetic, Gonzalo Higuain and Cesc Fabregas’s return have been linked, along with the likes of Maxime Gonalons and Ashley Williams. That’s not to say those two are poor players, but they lack the ‘wow’ factor of the big names.
Can we expect a few transfers to make people stand up and take notice?
June 1 - August 31, 2013 - Arsenal transfer expenditures
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