Arsene Wenger: Good Football Manager, Bad Business Manager?

From the outset, let me set the record straight. I don’t hate Arsenal; I admire their passing game and the trait of buying young (excluding Jens Lehmann and Sol Campbell) talent and nurturing this talent into fully fledged international players.

Ok, now that is out of the way, let’s crack on.

It would appear that in recent months, Arsenal fans have become somewhat annoyed and vocal about the lack of investment in the team, as well as the lack of silverware to put in the trophy cabinet at The Emirates. There are a number of Gooners who joke that the Emirates Cup is the 'only trophy worth winning'.

But, of course, this piece, which is all my opinion, has nothing to do with Arsenal’s fans and, really, nothing to do with Arsenals transfer policies regarding buying players. This article, or rant, if you will, relates to the Gunners’ manager.

He's got a degree in Economics, but fails to see that selling Nasri makes business sense

I’ll give him his due, he teaches players good attractive football, and he likes to implement technical skill as well as attacking football. He is, in all cases, a good, if not excellent, football manager.

My bone to pick with him is that he seems to lack any business sense, especially for a man that has an economics degree! You can argue that he shouldn’t see his team as a business; he is employed to train players, teach tactics and win football games. But it is clearly obvious, in this day and age, that football is a business. It’s as much about making money as it winning games and trophies, although the two evidently go hand in hand.

In Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, Arsenal have two great midfielders, but let’s not get above ourselves. Cesc, whilst being true class, is injury prone. His hamstrings, that continually have some sort of problem, are proving to be his downfall. And Nasri, who played well for 4 months of last year, is good but not a world-class versatile midfielder as people make him out to be.

Why not sell them both, gain £55 million in the process and reinvest this money in a world-class playmaker and a centre back. Arsenal is being touted as Gary Cahill’s next club, and he should be available for £15 million or more, this would leave roughly £40 million to invest in a new central midfielder. With that money, Arsenal could bring in Sneijder, Modric or even De Rossi with cash left to spare.

Will celebrations involving both Nasri and Fabregas be a thing of the past ?

In fact there are a list of players that would be adequate replacements for Nasri and Fabregas. The aforementioned De Rossi and Sneijder are some more senior examples, but Wenger could keep youth in his side if he bought Eden Hazard or tempted Lyon to part with Yoann Gourcuff.  The pair would cost under £55 million, would probably have cheaper wages and could be moulded into Arsenal's way of playing.

Don’t get me wrong. Players such as Nasri and Fabregas would be hard to replace, but not impossible. The emergence of Wilshere and the recovery of Ramsey are ideal for Wenger’s philosophy of attacking young midfielders. Just add someone alongside them who can either unlock a defence to release the striker with a pin-point pass, or to be a no-nonsense battler in midfield to finally replace Vieira and they’re sorted.

Even if Arsenal and Wenger manage to convince Fabregas to stay, Nasri should be sold. £20-25 million for a player that has one year remaining on his contract, is inconsistent and is stalling on signing an extension to stay at the club would be a great deal– even if he did leave for a league rival – as its very doubtful he'll be sold for more than £25 million in the future.

Was signing Gervinho a necessary purchase?

The North-London club apparently have a large transfer budget and the sale of Nasri would free up more funds for the club to invest in a much needed centre back, a new play-maker and a goal scoring centre forward partner Robin Van Persie. Gervinho has already been bought in, but this was not a necessary purchase in my eyes as focus should have always been getting a new centre back.

Wenger needs to buy 3 top players to make the difference between finishing in the Europa League or the Champions League qualifying spots come the end of the season.  He needs to invest or Arsenal will struggle to keep up with Man City and Spurs, let alone challenge United and Chelsea for the title. He needs to forget about his philosophy of not spending big. If he fails to deliver a trophy this season, it will probably be his last at the club. So, he may as well spend big and give himself the best chance of winning a trophy with some new top-class players with proven quality. 

Dave

Patience is a virtue

Patience is a virtue, and not one that is usually associated with football fans. However it is patience that is needed right now as a West Ham United supporter. 

Last season’s relegation hit the club hard, both in terms of pride and finances. The not-so-new owners have absorbed most of the financial burden from their own pockets but it still means that the clubs already thin budget will be stretched to breaking point.

The departure of almost 10 first team players will have helped free up some funds, players like Keiron Dyer, Matthew Upson, Demba Ba and Thomas Hitzlperger, some of the club’s top earners moving on to pastures new. However there is now a need to strengthen areas of the squad with some fresh faces.

The important word there is strengthen. The new boss, Sam Allardyce, has made it clear that he plans only to buy players that are better than what is currently available. ‘Big Sam’ is known for his shrewd transfer policy and this smart approach is characteristic. Instead of stockpiling players that will ‘do a job’ he is actively seeking players that will improve the team and provide real competition for the players already at the club.

No secret has been made of the areas that are in need of investment. The loss of Demba Ba and Robbie Keane – if you can call it a loss- mean that a striker is high on the list. Preferably one who can rack up 20 goals in a season. The slightly lower standard may give Carlton Cole (if he stays) and Freddy Piquionne the chance to prove themselves to the west ham faithful.

Absolutely bloody useless

Full backs are positions that West Ham has struggled to hold down in recent years. Herita Illunga, since signing a permanent deal has looked a shadow of his former self at left back and with Lars Jacobsen departed; the right back slot has been a weak spot for the Irons. Both will need strengthening, at least to take the pressure off young Hammers Spence and Brown. Spence, who spent last season on loan at Bristol City seems to be maturing into a good player adept at right back as well as centre back. Jordan Brown has looked solid at left back, another key position for the Hammers to strengthen

Sam Allardyce has a decent track record in the transfer market and has wasted no time in recruiting two fine players in Kevin Nolan and Aboldaye Faye; both have bags of experience and will provide a strong spine to the East London side, something they have lacked for a few seasons. With the transfer of Matthew Taylor expected to go through shortly, Big Sam has begun to address the lack of width on the left flank which has blighted the Hammers ever since Matthew Etherington was sold to Stoke in 2009. As long as Sam Allardyce keeps making smart signings like these, he’ll go some way to gaining favour with the West Ham faithful.

A little over a year ago, if you’d have asked West Ham fans about the appointment of Sam Allardyce, there would have been strong opposition, now however, given the club’s current position, most fans are grudgingly accepting that the ex Bolton man is probably the best man for the job.

Quite right too, in Sam Allardyce West Ham have a leader, a strong character who excels at man management. With a squad suffering from a devastating lack of confidence, Allardyce’s burly arm around their shoulder could well prove to be what’s needed to instil some self belief. 

 

Who needs a hug?

He has already shown his strength at negotiating with the signing of Kevin Nolan. Convincing Newcastle’s leading scorer last season to drop a division would have taken a lot of work (read cash) but Big Sam got his man. His refusal to be taken for a ride by Eidur Gudjonsen too only reinforced the strength in his character. West Ham, in desperate need of a striker, looked set to sign the Icelandic international. Allardyce refused to be held for ransom and cancelled the deal.

There is one player’s future that Big Sam can have no influence over, and that is Scott Parker. Signing Kevin Nolan basically renders the ‘will he stay or will he go’ discussion redundant. If he does leave, the combination of Mark Noble, Jack Collison and Kevin Nolan will easily be one of the best in the league. If he stays West Ham’s already strong midfield gains another excellent player. I’d be surprised if Parker does stay in East London, but as time ticks by the chances of him staying increase ever so slightly.

Allardyce will win over many fans if Scott Parker does end up staying, however fears over his more direct tactics will be either levied or realised as the season begins, but the performances so far in pre-season have been encouraging.

More faith has been put in the club’s youth players, with good results. Both Cristian Montano and Freddy Sears have both excelled, and showcased their talent in the build up and execution of a fine goal against FC Copenhagen. Relegation will be seen as a blessing in disguise for these players as the drop in standard will present them with more of a chance for a run in the first team, which they wouldn’t have had if West Ham had stayed in the Premiership.

Last season’s peripheral players such as Zavon Hines, Junior Stanislas and Jack Collison, all of whom have recently recovered from long-term injury, will almost certainly be thrust into the limelight this season and should relish the opportunity to show off their skills in the Championship. Both Hines and Stanislas possess great pace and will be crucial to West Ham’s fortunes this coming season. Hines is currently out of contract but has been offered a new deal by The Hammers and is expected to sign.

Needs to find his scoring boots this season.

A season in the Championship will be long and gruelling, many teams find it impossible to escape and have to resign themselves to a few years grafting in the 2nd tier. West Ham are employing a risky strategy in signing Premiership quality players on Premiership wages, however with the reward of a £40m promotion, the risk seems calculated enough.

Certainly the board seems to have got things right so far with the appointment of Sam Allardyce, they have also shied away from the media spotlight too, intent on letting the new man shape the team as he sees fit. Whether this strategy remains throughout the whole season is up for debate, but for now, as the new season approaches, there is a lot to give an Irons fan hope. I for one cannot wait.

Owain

Eng-flation

To quote the IT Crowd “Thing about Arsenal is, they always try an' walk it in”. If they were to re-write the episode now it might include the quote “Cor blimey Liverpool have paid a lot for those three Northern lads ain’t they?” 

Downing, Henderson and Carroll signed for a grand total of £75 million. If you had told Liverpool fans this time last year that they would have spent that sum of money on a striker and two midfielders they would have probably been dreaming of players of a different ilk perhaps the Sneijders, Agueros and Sanchezs of this world. Not three mediocre players who learnt their trade at far from glamorous Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Sunderland. 

Inflated cheeks and an inflated price tag

I would like to think that we could all agree that they have overpaid, yes? Good. Now, I’m not just picking on Liverpool all the larger English clubs have done it, for example:

Man Utd – Smalling, Jones, Carrick

Man City – Milner, Barry, Lescott

Chelsea – Wright-Phillips, Damien Duff (ROI), Sutton

Arsenal – Jeffers, Walcott...well, due to Wenger’s stance on inflated prices that’s about it!

Tottenham – Bentley, Richards, Defoe

Of course some of these transfers have turned out to be successful pieces of business, but at the time I would suggest at least a few eyebrows were raised at the vast sums paid. But why are the English players costing so much money when a more experienced, higher quality foreign player can possibly be bought for less.

Let us compare two examples this summer. We have Player A, he’s a twenty-five year old defender with one year left on his contract, he has won the Premier League and has Champions League and International experience and was sold for £7 million. Player B is also twenty-five, also has 1 year left on his contract, hasn’t won the Premier League, hasn’t played in the Champions League and only has three international caps to his name but has been talked about making a transfer this summer for a fee in excess of £15 million. Is Player A or B English?

Now there are a number of reasons that I can see for why English players are being bought at an inflated price. Firstly we have the eight home grown players rule; we all know it so I won’t bore you with its intricacies. This came into play last year this could possibly be given as a reason for why English players have cost so much during the last year. However if that is really the case then why is Charles N’Zogbia worth half as much as Stewart Downing? Both players are “home-grown” and in my opinion N’Zogbia is the better player. Gael Clichy aka Player A too is “home-grown” so why is he worth half as much as Player B?

This inflation can be further credited to the precedents that have already been set. Liverpool overpays for Andy Carroll and so an uncapped, minimally experienced English striker has been bought for £35 million. Now what are clubs going to do when their young English striker is on the wanted list? Let’s say for example Connor Wickham, would Ipswich have received the £12 million or so they did if this transfer hadn’t happened? Player precedents works against clubs too; Liverpool pay Newcastle £35 million so it’s clear to see they aren’t struggling for money so if they come calling the next selling club will automatically add some mark-up to the price, much like what happened with Chelsea and Man City. But this reason has the same affect with foreign players and clubs so the English foreign disparity is lost, when Man City came into some money not only would English clubs have been aware of this but so would the foreign clubs, after all they did pay £18 million for Jo. 

The inflated price tag and expectation can have disasterous effects

The last reason I can see, and one that I don’t feel is getting discussed, is the short sighted and narrow-minded view of the typical English football fan, manager and owner. The phrase “Them foreigners, coming over here, stealing our jobs!” is unfortunately a commonly used phrase in our general society.

I believe this has affected the countries footballing ethos and ultimately the transfer market by exacerbating the supply and demand pricing function. People want a local hero, and a side made up from local heroes, if they could I bet Liverpool fans would have eleven Jamie Carraghers on the pitch! At Liverpool, ‘King Kenny’ (one of the most annoying nicknames ever - Isn’t masquerading as a King some form of treason?) has come to the club and thought: I tell you what it’s these foreigners that have caused this demise at the club! Get me some good old British beef in the side then we’ll be cooking! Yes he has bought Suarez and Doni, but he’s also bought the three aforementioned Brits and brought numerous other English youth team players into the side. Such behaviour has led to an increase in demand in the English players, combine this with the home grown players rule and you have yourself an over-inflated price for an English player.

This inflation has a wider affect most notably the National side. The fans are always looking for an excuse as to why the England side has failed and the blame has, in recent years, fallen at Fabio Capello’s door. I have heard many an ex-pro blaming the national team’s current plight due to the fact that we have an Italian in charge and not an Englishman.

Here’s my opinion, it wouldn’t matter who was in charge: the players aren’t good enough and they don’t realise it. This is because they have had millions spent on them by these top clubs so they think: “yeah I’m good, I cost more than David Silva!” (The inner monologue of James Milner). When it gets to the international stage where these over-inflated egos combine with over-inflated prices and form some sort of ego price bubble, it bursts and the nation is left flabbergasted! “But they do it for their clubs” the fans and ‘pundits cry! Yes, but they have a lot better, less ego inflated players working their socks off alongside them. So judge a player on his ability rather than his nationality as these goddamn prices give the player and ultimately the fan false hope! 

Will one of these Evertonians be next?

A criticism of some is that the foreign players coming to our league have damaged the England national side, quite the contrary I believe it has aided it. Is everyone forgetting the technique deprived football that existed before hand? Also it hasn’t stopped players coming through if they are good enough they’ll find a club, so what if Chelsea have bought Torres when Sturridge is there, there are 19 other Premier League clubs and there are also countless other clubs in Spain, Italy, Germany etc. I’m not saying that we should only buy foreign players, but the clubs and the players need to garner some perspective. Why should £15million be paid for Player B aka Gary Cahill, when there is a perfectly adequate foreign player? The sooner the Premier League realises that England isn’t the hotbed of footballing talent the better as we can then begin to develop and nurture the young English players and start to get our national team back on track. 

Josh

The Championship Preview

Ok, I’ll admit it, I’m a West Ham fan, there I’ve said it, now we can move on without me having to explain why I’m doing the Championship preview, I’m hurting enough as it is without you bringing it up again.

One fundamental characteristic of the Championship is that it’s usually pretty impossible to call. It was expected that Middlesbrough would shoot back into the Premiership after the signing of Kris Boyd, and no-one would have predicted that Norwich would gain back to back promotions.

The league this season is as strong as ever, two ex England bosses now manage in the division and there is far more financial muscle in this league with teams pulling out the stops to gain their place in the promised land of the Premier League.

Let’s kick off with the favourites. Obviously West Ham are up there as the bookies favourites to go straight back up. Despite losing 12 first team players, (although Kieron Dyer doesn’t really count), the Hammers still find themselves in a decent position. The signing of Kevin Nolan will be seen as somewhat of a coup and will provide the Irons with some grit and determination, as well as a fair few goals.

Time to shine Junior (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images Europe)

The difference in standard should allow last season’s fringe players to step up and play a more pivotal role. Youngsters like Junior Stanislas, Zavon Hines, James Tompkins and Jordan Spence have the potential to become the next generation of graduates from the Academy of Football. Some investment is needed, but I cannot see West Ham languishing in the Championship for too long.

The Irons’ biggest rivals this season will almost certainly be Leicester. The East Midlands club haven’t been shy in splashing the cash, bringing in no less than five players at the time of writing. With Sven-Goran Eriksson at the helm, Leicester’s chances are better than most. Sven is a great manager and since he has the financial backing, I can see The Foxes pushing for automatic promotion this season.

There are of course more than two challengers for the automatic promotions spots, and the competition is likely to be fierce. Both Leeds and Nottingham Forrest will be aiming for these places. Forrest, under their new manager Steve McClaren, has a great chance. They were out classed by Swansea in the play-offs last season, but still posses a decent attacking side capable of great things. Signing Andy Reid could well prove to be a great piece of business for the reds, his exceptional eye for a pass can help unlock defences this season. A replacement for Rob Earnshaw is likely to be high on McClaren’s list of priorities too.

Leeds dazzled the league and cup competitions with some breathtaking displays last year, although to really challenge this season they’ll need to tighten up that leaky backline, which conceded 70 goals last season. I’m not sure letting Kasper Schmeichel go was such a good piece of business but keeping hold of top scorers Luciano Becchio and Max Gradel will ensure they are taken seriously as challengers next year.

Shouldn’t have said goodbye so soon

The push for the play offs is likely to be contested by around seven teams; Leeds, Forrest, Cardiff, Reading, Birmingham, Blackpool and, if they can stop conceding goals, Watford stand a great chance.

Cardiff have bolstered their ranks this season with some smart signings, none more so than Robbie Earnshaw and Aron Gunnarsson, they’ll have to hope that Earnshaw fires in plenty of goals as replacing the 38 scored by Chopra, Bothroyd and Bellamy, who have all since departed, will be no easy task. Expect another striker to be brought in this season.

Reading will be on the hunt for a striker too if the mooted £8million transfer of Shane Long, to any of a number of Premier League suitors goes ahead. The Irishman scored 21 goals last season and if he departs, the £8million should be reinvested wisely in a similar player as they’ll lack raw pace up front this season.

Birmingham are at present an unknown quantity, with their chairman under police investigation and most of their squad being snatched from underneath them by various Premier league clubs. They’ll need to reinvest any money they receive in adding to their desperately under strength strike force and replacing Scott Dann who looks certain to leave, and Roger Johnson who has moved across Birmingham to play for Wolves. However with their remaining players full of top flight experience, they should have enough grit and determination to make a challenge for play-off qualification, under new boss Chris Houghton, it would certainly not be unlikely.

Blackpool almost achieved the seemingly impossible last season by nearly beating the drop, and doing so with a below average Premiership side and a no fefar attacking approach. If Ian Holloway can bring in some players and unlock their potential like he managed last year, plus adequately replace Charlie Adam, his side could find themselves back in line for another shot at the big time.

It’s just as tight at the bottom as it is at the top this season. Out of the promoted teams, I would imagine that Brighton and Hove stand the best chance at survival; this comes from their manager, the highly talented Gus Poyet, coupled with the excellent signing of Craig Mackail-Smith. The hardworking striker, who scored 34 goals last season, turned down a move to West Ham to play for The Seagulls and his goals will be integral to keeping them in the division.

Brighton’s gain, Peterborough’s loss (Photo PA)

However, one club’s gain is another’s loss. Peterborough, without their top scorer, may find the Championship more than a little taxing. They’ll benefit from keeping it in the family with a number of loan signings from Manchester United, but unless they find a striker of Mackail-Smith’s prolificacy they could be going straight back down. 

Southampton, I imagine, will be in and around the drop zone for most of the season, although with their financial backing, they could bring in a few players who can make a difference this season. However, a team without financial backing is Crystal Palace. They are skint, for lack of a better word, and only survived last season as three teams were simply worse than they were, I foresee a difficult campaign ahead for them. Talking of difficult challenges, Doncaster Rovers, who finished level on points with Crystal Palace last year, look likely to struggle this season. They have to hope that they can hold onto Billy Sharp – who was their top scorer last season with 15, lose him which is more than likely – Ipswich and Southampton are apparently very interested - and they don’t stand a chance.

The Championship has certainly improved it’s standards over recent years, which is reflected in the increase demand for TV rights and live matches, with big sides coming down and strong sides coming up, this season could prove to be it’s most interesting yet.

Winner

West Ham United

Runner Up

Leicester City

Play-off Winner

Leeds United

Relegated

Peterborough United

Crystal Palace

Doncaster Rovers


 Owain