The new Ajax?! Why Wenger's quotes could be untrue

By Asser Ghozlan on Tuesday, July 8, 2008

I was having a look on the Internet, browsing the latest football news and transfer gossip and happened to stumble across a piece quoting Arsène Wenger regarding the necessity of selling a star player every summer in order to raise enough money to cover the costs of the loan paid in securing the Emirates Stadium, with the need to rely on the young talent coming through the ranks. Initially, I was shocked, bordering on distraught in fact. And then I saw that the article was attributed to the ever-reliable (or not) News of the World.

Admittedly, whilst the article does indeed sound ominous, my point is that such "news" is the perfect reminder about the fodder that can be seen in the national press about Arsenal's supposedly calamitous position. After all, this is the same newspaper that, twelve months ago, wisely predicted that we would be reeling from Henry's departure so much that we would end up finishing sixth and from therein spontaneously combust into football oblivion, ala Leeds United.

A look at some pure business facts should be taken into account after digesting the article. Wenger has apparently stated that a sum of £24 million is required to be raised from sales per annum in order to cover the costs of the Emirates Stadium "mortgage", an ordeal that would have to continue for seventeen years!

With a sponsorship deal secured with Fly Emirates securing in excess of £100 million over ten years, television coverage rights, membership/season tickets and match tickets (incidentally the most expensively priced in the country) bringing in revenue close to £100 million, and booming merchandise, logic suggests that the costs of maintaining the stadium are more than covered.

In any case, Forbes have put Arsenal as the richest club in Britain, whilst also bracketing us in the top five richest clubs in the world based on profits, which have amounted to over £50m over the last business year, further proof to the doubts that should be cast over the News of the World article.

I would therefore be very surprised if Le Boss, a man so secretive when it comes to discussing transfers and internal business matters, had indeed come out so extrovertly to a Sunday paper that is obviously smarting from the end of a fabulously entertaining European championship.

The article may have some grains of truth in it, but, in my opinion, this may purely be a smokescreen from Wenger implying the possible sale of Adebayor, who has done himself no favours whatsoever in the past two weeks. Having previously come out several times reaffirming his commitment to the club, the recent overtures have been less than impressive from a man who owes his stardom to Wenger, who stood by him and elevated him to becoming the club's main striker when so many fans had doubted his ability. The figures mooted, ranging from £22 million to up to £36 million are indeed an attractive proposition, something which will not go unnoticed in Wenger's mind, particularly that he may have several reinforcements lined up for the sum of money raised from the sale of Adebayor.

However, if Wenger had in fact come out with such statements, and I, as many Gooners will sincerely hope that he hasn't, then the responsibility for the situation would ultimately fall on the board and Wenger himself, especially after having previously insisted that the move to the Emirates Stadium would propel us into competing in the transfer market as opposed to struggle to pay for our new home! As I took in the article at first glance, I thought of the potential disaster that could ensue from becoming a selling club. Naturally, my mind went all over the place. Adebayor today, van Persie tomorrow, and then Fabregas, the crown jewel of the Emirates Satdium, would be off too. Chilling thoughts indeed!

And that is why I am convinced that this cannot be true. Wenger, a man of principle and honour cannot make a promise and break it so carelessly and callously, freely admitting to the national press that he has no option but to turn Arsenal into a selling club for decades to come.

If this indeed is to be the case, then there is only one option for our survival, an option that would require the hard-nosed traditionalists to stop living in the past and face the contemporary world, a world that David Dein had so bravely and realistically spoken of in terms of the future of the club requiring significant investment.

Granted, football take-overs have become old news and severely out-of-fashion, with foreign consortiums ranging from Russia to the US and Thailand owning clubs up and down the country. In fact, "re-take-overs" are now emerging, with Liverpool and Newcastle United prime suspects. Traditionalists have claimed that such activities are not good for football and have highlighted the vitality of money and profits over competition taking over in the sport, with Peter Hill-Wood being the most high profile figure in terms of the "Arsenal view".

Nevertheless, if a football take-over was required in order to fight the situation of becoming the new Ajax of European football, unearthing unknown gems and turning them into world class stars before selling them off to our continental (maybe even national) rivals, then, in this case, perhaps selfishly and maybe even hypocritically, I would quite happily "kill football" - and save Arsenal.

原文地址：http://arsenal-mania.com/articles/3105551/The-new-Ajax-Why-Wengers-quotes-could-be-untrue.html