I was Gunner be Arsenal -- Ferguson

[kajifu]

I'm glad we got Wenger though.

Same here....

Same here

[Lestatmera1]

Are you guys implying Arsenal fabricated this story so they can have 'We coulda have Sir Alex' trophies for every season since then? Kai

[Heliopolis]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

[wiseone]

SPOT ON.

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

[kalani]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

That's hardly my reasoning though. Truth be told during the Highbury years there would not be an Arsenal fan who would want Fergie ahead of Wenger, the last few years have been atrocious however I still remember the earlier years and want else Wenger has done not just in terms of trophies and the Emirates Stadium but how he has helped improve the culture of the game. Arsenal used to have actual alcoholics, Im not talking Bendtner type pants down style I'm talking about Tony and Merse and even Razor Parlour.

[anointed]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

That's hardly my reasoning though. Truth be told during the Highbury years there would not be an Arsenal fan who would want Fergie ahead of Wenger, the last few years have been atrocious however I still remember the earlier years and want else Wenger has done not just in terms of trophies and the Emirates Stadium but how he has helped improve the culture of the game. Arsenal used to have actual alcoholics, Im not talking Bendtner type pants down style I'm talking about Tony and Merse and even Razor Parlour.

May be Arsenal enjoyed the advantage of being used to a small stadium/pitch then.

[Skylolo]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

You have just told us how Wenger has kept Arsenal relevant, I wonder how many managers can run manage a team into the CL every year despite consistently selling its best players.

[Heliopolis]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

You have just told us how Wenger has kept Arsenal relevant, I wonder how many managers can run manage a team into the CL every year despite consistently selling its best players.

Please stop downplaying Wenger's ambitions for this club. Wenger has stated time and time again he wants to win trophies, he said 6-years ago that he had a 5-year plan for the club (that he felt would lead to trophies) and that he felt Arsenal were ready to win trophies this season. Wenger wants to win trophies, not just to qualify for the CL every season. He has failed to win trophies over the last 6-years and thus a spade should be called a spade. He has failed himself, the supporters and the club.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The idea that Wenger has finished top 4 every season with a bargain basement team is a myth. Arsenal have consistently been amongst the top 3-4 spending teams in the Premiership over the past 6 trophy-less seasons so it should come as no surprise that we've consistently finished in the top 4. If one were to study where clubs such as Chelsea, Utd and Arsenal have finished in the Premiership standings in relation to their wage bills, one would likely realize that a very strong case could be made for Arsenal increase their spending if they want to compete for the Premiership title more seriously.

[kalani]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

You have just told us how Wenger has kept Arsenal relevant, I wonder how many managers can run manage a team into the CL every year despite consistently selling its best players.

Please stop downplaying Wenger's ambitions for this club. Wenger has stated time and time again he wants to win trophies, he said 6-years ago that he had a 5-year plan for the club (that he felt would lead to trophies) and that he felt Arsenal were ready to win trophies this season. Wenger wants to win trophies, not just to qualify for the CL every season. He has failed to win trophies over the last 6-years and thus a spade should be called a spade. He has failed himself, the supporters and the club.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The idea that Wenger has finished top 4 every season with a bargain basement team is a myth. Arsenal have consistently been amongst the top 3-4 spending teams in the Premiership over the past 6 trophy-less seasons so it should come as no surprise that we've consistently finished in the top 4. If one were to study where clubs such as Chelsea, Utd and Arsenal have finished in the Premiership standings in relation to their wage bills, one would likely realize that a very strong case could be made for Arsenal increase their spending if they want to compete for the Premiership title more seriously.

Erm really?

[Tunisian Gooner]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

You have just told us how Wenger has kept Arsenal relevant, I wonder how many managers can run manage a team into the CL every year despite consistently selling its best players.

Please stop downplaying Wenger's ambitions for this club. Wenger has stated time and time again he wants to win trophies, he said 6-years ago that he had a 5-year plan for the club (that he felt would lead to trophies) and that he felt Arsenal were ready to win trophies this season. Wenger wants to win trophies, not just to qualify for the CL every season. He has failed to win trophies over the last 6-years and thus a spade should be called a spade. He has failed himself, the supporters and the club.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The idea that Wenger has finished top 4 every season with a bargain basement team is a myth. Arsenal have consistently been amongst the top 3-4 spending teams in the Premiership over the past 6 trophy-less seasons so it should come as no surprise that we've consistently finished in the top 4. If one were to study where clubs such as Chelsea, Utd and Arsenal have finished in the Premiership standings in relation to their wage bills, one would likely realize that a very strong case could be made for Arsenal increase their spending if they want to compete for the Premiership title more seriously.

Erm really?

In wages yes but in transfer fees more on par with Everton and Fulham than the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, Spurs and Liverpool.

[Waffiman]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

You have just told us how Wenger has kept Arsenal relevant, I wonder how many managers can run manage a team into the CL every year despite consistently selling its best players.

Please stop downplaying Wenger's ambitions for this club. Wenger has stated time and time again he wants to win trophies, he said 6-years ago that he had a 5-year plan for the club (that he felt would lead to trophies) and that he felt Arsenal were ready to win trophies this season. Wenger wants to win trophies, not just to qualify for the CL every season. He has failed to win trophies over the last 6-years and thus a spade should be called a spade. He has failed himself, the supporters and the club.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The idea that Wenger has finished top 4 every season with a bargain basement team is a myth. Arsenal have consistently been amongst the top 3-4 spending teams in the Premiership over the past 6 trophy-less seasons so it should come as no surprise that we've consistently finished in the top 4. If one were to study where clubs such as Chelsea, Utd and Arsenal have finished in the Premiership standings in relation to their wage bills, one would likely realize that a very strong case could be made for Arsenal increase their spending if they want to compete for the Premiership title more seriously.

Erm really?

He is of course talking rubbish.

This is what happens when you look at figures and do not understand them.

Let us compare the high earners at Chelski and Manure to Arsenal. BTW! I bet he did not realise Arsenal salary figures included image rights while the other clubs do not treat image rights as salary. Since the Govt made clubs treat image rights as salary, he should have a look at the accounts and see the huge difference in salary cost BTW Arsenal and these clubs.

Nasri is looking to break Arsenal's wage structure, Cesc is highest paid at 90 grand per week. At Manure and Chelski, 150 grand per week is the norm.
Arsenal pay CL wages but Shitty, Chelski, Manure, all pay more at present. Arsenal have paid top 4 wages because they have been a top 4 club, but Chelski and Manure have always paid far more. Shitty have now overtaken them.

As for transfer fees, Wenger has no match in the game for what he has done in the past 6 years. We have some money now, so he will spend it on the type of players we need to succeed on the silverware front.

[Waffiman]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

You have just told us how Wenger has kept Arsenal relevant, I wonder how many managers can run manage a team into the CL every year despite consistently selling its best players.

Please stop downplaying Wenger's ambitions for this club. Wenger has stated time and time again he wants to win trophies, he said 6-years ago that he had a 5-year plan for the club (that he felt would lead to trophies) and that he felt Arsenal were ready to win trophies this season. Wenger wants to win trophies, not just to qualify for the CL every season. He has failed to win trophies over the last 6-years and thus a spade should be called a spade. He has failed himself, the supporters and the club.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The idea that Wenger has finished top 4 every season with a bargain basement team is a myth. Arsenal have consistently been amongst the top 3-4 spending teams in the Premiership over the past 6 trophy-less seasons so it should come as no surprise that we've consistently finished in the top 4. If one were to study where clubs such as Chelsea, Utd and Arsenal have finished in the Premiership standings in relation to their wage bills, one would likely realize that a very strong case could be made for Arsenal increase their spending if they want to compete for the Premiership title more seriously.

Erm really?

In wages yes but in transfer fees more on par with Everton and Fulham than the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, Spurs and Liverpool.

Not correct. Not on par with Manure, Chelski, and even Shitty. Till recently, clubs like Manure and Chelski always hid true salary figures by declaring image rights as a non salary item in their accounts. Arsenal always treated images rights as salary. I have mentioned this here many a time.

[Waffiman]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

You have just told us how Wenger has kept Arsenal relevant, I wonder how many managers can run manage a team into the CL every year despite consistently selling its best players.

Please stop downplaying Wenger's ambitions for this club. Wenger has stated time and time again he wants to win trophies, he said 6-years ago that he had a 5-year plan for the club (that he felt would lead to trophies) and that he felt Arsenal were ready to win trophies this season. Wenger wants to win trophies, not just to qualify for the CL every season. He has failed to win trophies over the last 6-years and thus a spade should be called a spade. He has failed himself, the supporters and the club.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The idea that Wenger has finished top 4 every season with a bargain basement team is a myth. Arsenal have consistently been amongst the top 3-4 spending teams in the Premiership over the past 6 trophy-less seasons so it should come as no surprise that we've consistently finished in the top 4. If one were to study where clubs such as Chelsea, Utd and Arsenal have finished in the Premiership standings in relation to their wage bills, one would likely realize that a very strong case could be made for Arsenal increase their spending if they want to compete for the Premiership title more seriously.

Erm really?

In wages yes but in transfer fees more on par with Everton and Fulham than the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, Spurs and Liverpool.

Not correct. Not on par with Manure, Chelski, and even Shitty. Till recently, clubs like Manure and Chelski always hid true salary figures by declaring image rights as a non salary item in their accounts. Arsenal always treated images rights as salary. I have mentioned this here many a time.

[Waffiman]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

You have just told us how Wenger has kept Arsenal relevant, I wonder how many managers can run manage a team into the CL every year despite consistently selling its best players.

Please stop downplaying Wenger's ambitions for this club. Wenger has stated time and time again he wants to win trophies, he said 6-years ago that he had a 5-year plan for the club (that he felt would lead to trophies) and that he felt Arsenal were ready to win trophies this season. Wenger wants to win trophies, not just to qualify for the CL every season. He has failed to win trophies over the last 6-years and thus a spade should be called a spade. He has failed himself, the supporters and the club.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The idea that Wenger has finished top 4 every season with a bargain basement team is a myth. Arsenal have consistently been amongst the top 3-4 spending teams in the Premiership over the past 6 trophy-less seasons so it should come as no surprise that we've consistently finished in the top 4. If one were to study where clubs such as Chelsea, Utd and Arsenal have finished in the Premiership standings in relation to their wage bills, one would likely realize that a very strong case could be made for Arsenal increase their spending if they want to compete for the Premiership title more seriously.

Erm really?

He is of course talking rubbish.

This is what happens when you look at figures and do not understand them.

Let us compare the high earners at Chelski and Manure to Arsenal. BTW! I bet he did not realise Arsenal salary figures included image rights while the other clubs do not treat image rights as salary. Since the Govt made clubs treat image rights as salary, he should have a look at the accounts and see the huge difference in salary cost BTW Arsenal and these clubs.

Nasri is looking to break Arsenal's wage structure, Cesc is highest paid at 90 grand per week. At Manure and Chelski, 150 grand per week is the norm.
Arsenal pay CL wages but Shitty, Chelski, Manure, all pay more at present. Arsenal have paid top 4 wages because they have been a top 4 club, but Chelski and Manure have always paid far more. Shitty have now overtaken them.

As for transfer fees, Wenger has no match in the game for what he has done in the past 6 years. We have some money now, so he will spend it on the type of players we need to succeed on the silverware front.

[Tunisian Gooner]

Some Arsenal fans are crazy. Ferguson is one of the greatest managers in sports history. This is a fact. What he's done year in and year out with the same club is remarkable. People like to talk about his big budget but they forget how many times he has he signed unknown players that ended up being gems. They forget that he always brings out the best in veteran players while other fail to see the value that veterans provide to their football clubs. They forget that the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, and now Man City have spent as much, if not more than Man Utd in recent years and yet have not matched United's success. Ferguson is a great manager. I rate him higher than Mourinho.

You have just told us how Wenger has kept Arsenal relevant, I wonder how many managers can run manage a team into the CL every year despite consistently selling its best players.

Please stop downplaying Wenger's ambitions for this club. Wenger has stated time and time again he wants to win trophies, he said 6-years ago that he had a 5-year plan for the club (that he felt would lead to trophies) and that he felt Arsenal were ready to win trophies this season. Wenger wants to win trophies, not just to qualify for the CL every season. He has failed to win trophies over the last 6-years and thus a spade should be called a spade. He has failed himself, the supporters and the club.

Oh yeah, one more thing. The idea that Wenger has finished top 4 every season with a bargain basement team is a myth. Arsenal have consistently been amongst the top 3-4 spending teams in the Premiership over the past 6 trophy-less seasons so it should come as no surprise that we've consistently finished in the top 4. If one were to study where clubs such as Chelsea, Utd and Arsenal have finished in the Premiership standings in relation to their wage bills, one would likely realize that a very strong case could be made for Arsenal increase their spending if they want to compete for the Premiership title more seriously.

Erm really?

In wages yes but in transfer fees more on par with Everton and Fulham than the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, Spurs and Liverpool.

Not correct. Not on par with Manure, Chelski, and even Shitty. Till recently, clubs like Manure and Chelski always hid true salary figures by declaring image rights as a non salary item in their accounts. Arsenal always treated images rights as salary. I have mentioned this here many a time.

In terms of wages Arsenal are in the top 4 not on par with Chelsea or Man City but easily in the top 4.

[Waffiman]

In wages yes but in transfer fees more on par with Everton and Fulham than the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, Spurs and Liverpool.

Not correct. Not on par with Manure, Chelski, and even Shitty. Till recently, clubs like Manure and Chelski always hid true salary figures by declaring image rights as a non salary item in their accounts. Arsenal always treated images rights as salary. I have mentioned this here many a time.

In terms of wages Arsenal are in the top 4 not on par with Chelsea or Man City but easily in the top 4.

.....and Manure.

Arsenal are in the CL, so they pay CL wages. However, comparing Wages paied by Arsenal to Chelski, Manure and now Shitty betrays a gross misunderstanding of this issue in the last 6 years. The reason Arsenal got rid of the high wage earners at the club like Sol, Henry, Vieira, Bergkamp, Llungberg etc. etc is exactly to cope with stresses on cashflow. To suggest Arsenal are paying salaries on a par with Chelski, Manure and now Shitty is just wrong.

In terms of transfers dealings, we are punching way over our weight when you consider money spent and where we are in the league. In terms of wages, we should be 3rd or 4th, but we have managed to finish 2nd in the last 6 years, been to a CL final too. Once again, we have been punching way above our weight. The stats are clear, clubs who spend the most on transfers and wages (note: wages & transfers fees, not wages or salary alone) win trophies. When Arsenal won trophies at Highbury, we had some of the highest paid players in the world but where in the bottom 3 in terms of transfer spending, what Arsenal did then was pay the wages to keep the players, since we moved to the Emirates we have lost our best players because we will not pay the wages.

When idiotic Arsenal fans say Wenger out, they are just ignorant buffons and need their dumb heads examined.

Right now we have problems cos Nasri wants to break the wage structure at the club. Clichy's agent wants £120,000 weekly, Nasri has been offered £150,000 weekly by Shitty, Chelski etc. etc.

Arsenal's highest earner is Cesc at £90,000, Manure's highest earner is Rooney at £170,000 wk, Shitty has Yaya at over £170,000, Chelski have Torres at over £150,000 with Terry and Lampard on £150,000.

On the wages and images right issue, I post this about two years ago. See this article. It should be noted that Her Majesty's Inland Revenue and Customs are now investigating this issue of image rights not be classified as wages to avoid tax and NI. Their ruling will have ramifications for clubs all over the land. We will not have a problem

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009 ... fer-window

Wenger lays down law on wages as agent says Arshavin will move
• Arsenal manager will not break club's wage structure
• Zenit claim player wants €2.5m to cover fee for breaking contract

Arsène Wenger has told Andrei Arshavin that he will not break Arsenal's wage ­structure to bring him to the club. The Zenit St Petersburg playmaker's proposed transfer has been one of the sagas of this window and the most recent ­suggestion from the Russian club is that his personal terms are proving the ­stumbling block.

Wenger insisted yesterday that he had "not spoken about wages with the player", a claim supported by Arshavin's agent, Dennis Lachter, who is furious with Zenit over their conduct but believes the ­transfer will go through.

Lachter denied Zenit's claim that the move had stalled over Arshavin's demand for an extra €2.5m (£2.3m) from Arsenal to make up for a payment that the player may be obliged to make to them, should he break his current contract, which is worth close to £100,000 a week.

Zenit refuse to subtract that from the transfer fee, which they say has been agreed at £15m, something that Wenger denies, and the Russians believe that Arshavin will ask Arsenal to reflect it in his wage package. "He said playing in England is his dream and now it only depends on money for him," said the Zenit general manager Maxim Mitrofanov, who was hoping last night to persuade the player to move to Arsenal.

The situation is quickly degenerating into a slanging match between parties, with Mitrofanov claiming Lachter was ill informed about details of his player's contract. "I don't want to comment on Lachter as he is not involved in negotiations, this is why he is wrong. Zenit is ready to make an agreement with Arsenal over Arshavin. If he doesn't want to be a Zenit player, no problem. The only problem is the part of the contract that rewards him for playing at the club for four years. Lachter is only his representative since summer 2008, Arshavin signed his contract in 2006 – that's why Lachter does not know about this.

"I can understand Arshavin's issue with the fee – I'm sure if I had a big fee like this I would not like to give it up. The future is in the players hands. But I don't see why Arsenal should pay this money, it was not a signing-on fee. It was for him to play for Zenit for four years. Arsenal have been simple and straightforward to work with."

Mitrofanov also flagged another potential sticking point in the transfer, citing the red tape needed to allow the Russian international to play in England. "Another problem is Arshavin will need special papers to work in England. And these papers can take two days, so everything may have to happen by 2pm [today] to give them time as the transfer window closes on Monday and for sure it will not be possible to do this at the weekend."

Wenger, who said he was focused only on his team's Premier League visit to ­Everton tonight, has been resolute in his stance over Arshavin and said that he had worries about bringing in a player on a massive wage. ­Arsenal's top earner at present is the former captain William Gallas on £80,000 a week and, although Wenger has gone through the £100,000-a-week barrier in the past for Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry, those players earned their rises after seasons of sustained excellence at the club.

"The players who come in here are all on a wage structure or they do not come in," said Wenger. "It's as simple as that. Nobody will come in above the highest level we have here."

As if to reinforce the message to Arshavin, Wenger again sought to paint a picture of financial restraint at Arsenal. The club might have trumpeted at their AGM the statistic that they had the second-highest wage bill in the Premier League but Wenger took issue with that, nodding, with some mischief, towards creative accounting elsewhere.

"Do you really believe that?" he said. "Believe me, that is not true. Because many clubs hide their wages. But at our club, every single wage is structured in a very simple way. For example, if a player [at another club] has a 25% image [rights] contract, which is allowed in England, it is not in the wages. If you multiply that by 10, that divides the wage bill by 25%."

Asked whether Arsenal's relatively frugal nature allowed him to be paid handsomely, Wenger said: "I am on a very good contract. I am one of the few managers who makes money for my club every year. That is the most important. I tell you something, if I would not make money for the club, I would not be on a very good contract."

Wenger added that none of his current squad had image-rights clauses in their contracts but that may be about to change. He said that the club had entered negotiations with Theo Walcott and it is understood that image rights will feature prominently in the discussions. The forward, who has only 18 months remaining on his existing deal, is the lowest paid England regular by some distance and he will seek a rise to reflect not only his status but his marketability. "We are not against granting players image rights," said Wenger. "Theo wants to stay, we want him to stay so we should find an agreement." Walcott is out until the end of next month with a shoulder injury.

[wanaj0]

Waffiman na wa for you ooo.

Years ago, you said no team can 'buy' trophies. When JM came to Chelsea, you were adamant that good players will not join Chelsea because Chelsea does not have any history. You even went on to say that it does not matter how much they spend they will not win anything because trophies cannot be bought.

Now you are singing a new song! Abeg, money good oooooo.

CE should launch appeal fund for Arsenal ooo

[YemiBrazil]

Waffiman na wa for you ooo.

Years ago, you said no team can 'buy' trophies. When JM came to Chelsea, you were adamant that good players will not join Chelsea because Chelsea does not have any history. You even went on to say that it does not matter how much they spend they will not win anything because trophies cannot be bought.

Now you are singing a new song! Abeg, money good oooooo.

CE should launch appeal fund for Arsenal ooo

[Heliopolis]

Arsenal have consistently been top 4 in Premiership wages. This is a fact. One can make a convincing argument that Arsenal have remained in the top 4 during these "Emirates years" due them maintaining one of the top 4 wage bills in the Premiership.

Further more, it is well documented here that Waffiman has claimed numerous times in the past that spending does not guarantee trophies. I think we can all agree with this point, however he has used this point to justify Wenger's player acquisition policies over the last 6 trophy-less seasons. At the same time, Waffiman points out the fact that Arsenal were the top club in the country at a time when they had the highest wage bill and that clubs such as United and Chelsea have finished ahead of us in the last 6 years in large part due to their higher wage bills. Thus, if you know that the club experienced its best seasons when it was spending well and that our main title rivals have outspent us over the last 6 years, how can you defend a transfer/wage policy that has led to nothing more than heartache?

The fact of the matter is Arsenal MUST increase spending on players in order to win trophies. This is a fact.

[YemiBrazil]

From English league to Japanese league to MLS to Brazilian league to Nigerian league - the more you spend the more likely you win trophies and it's a guarantee that you are always going to be somewhere at the top.

[Biafra]

From English league to Japanese league to MLS to Brazilian league to Nigerian league - the more you spend the more likely you win trophies and it's a guarantee that you are always going to be somewhere at the top.

Man City has proven that succinctly. From island of no-where to competing for the top three in just one season of poaching players here and there. With the rate of their current speed, by the time they ferry-in Mourinho, no Premiership club will see their back. Quote me. Money is good and the earlier Wenger realizes this and fortify, the better for him and Arsenal.

[wanaj0]

POVERTY is a curse. I reject am

[oloye]

If is official Arsenal is the 'Almost' or 'Would have been' club