Arsene Wenger has warned that football faces a financial crisis as the gap between the haves and have-nots grows larger.
As clubs throughout Europe struggle to stay afloat, the über-rich Sugar Daddy led clubs operate on a different level and the knock-on effects are obvious. With their over-inflated transfer fees and ludicrously high wage packets, they skew the market, leaving it almost impossible for other clubs to compete.
“At the moment, with teams like Chelsea and Manchester City, they just take who they want”, said the Arsenal boss, and he warned that the repurcussions would be felt sooner rather than later, not just from inside the game but because of the economic difficulties faced in real life too.
“People feel football has been untouchable, but that will not last. I am convinced that Europe will go into a huge financial crisis within the next three weeks, or three months, and maybe that will put everything into perspective again. All our income could be a little bit under threat in the next few months. We have seen the first signs of resistance already in Spain”.
The situation in Spain in particular shows how finances will reduce competitiveness. “Barcelona and Real Madrid have much more financial power than they did 14 years ago because they have individual TV rights,’ said Wenger.
Last month players in Spain went on strike over unpaid wages. While the big two are boosted financially by their individual TV rights deals the rest of the clubs are fighting to stay alive. Over half the current teams in Spain are without a shirt sponsor for the season ahead. It was 2004 the last time a team other than Barcelona or Madrid won the title and as the financial gap grows the league becomes a sunny SPL (in terms of competitiveness, not quality).
It’s a sobering thought and for all the frustration felt by Arsenal fans towards the manager, perhaps, in time, it will emerge that Wenger’s legacy was not about trophies but ensuring the financial survival and growth of Arsenal Football Club without having to rely on owners who could withdraw their support on a whim.
Well put
Real food for thought. Thanks Blogs.
Sometimes as fans we tend to forget we have one of the most intelligent football manager in the EPL…heck in the whole world….from book management to on field management…. You just have to look at Pompey’s down fall (Under twitchy’s watch…) a clear sign the meltdown is clearly on the way….Everton is already on the red….. Very few clubs will be able to ride out the financial collapse and Arsenal FC will be one of those few clubs!
Arsene knows! AKB forever
Arsenal may ride this out, but unfortunately it’ll make little difference, because Barcelona, Man City, Chelsea, Madrid etc. won’t care. They have no interest in football beyond their own achievements. They’ll be safe and that’s all that matters to them.
True William, But the bigger picture is that football will be affected…..when all those team around us collapse then what?… the FA promote teams from the lower leagues to fill in the gap….killing the competitive edge (Although I wouldn’t mind seeing shit lane collapsing into 2nd division…really hope that day comes.. )…. All in all something is gonna give…
Well said sir, Wengers is a master tactician both on the field and off it. He has his days (And who doesn’t!!) but, a legend he is and a legend he will always remain!! Come on Arsenal!!
Don’t be stupid. There is no need for a football manager to anaylse anything deeper than footballing matters. When his side fail to deliver, he tried to mask it by injecting you guys about the threat from financial aspect which will inadvertedly shows how good he is in managing the club. Well, no doubt wenger has delivered the goods for AFC from a financial aspect but seriously, at the end of the day, silverware is all that matters and we have none to show for the last 6yrs.
So you’re saying that things outside of football that directly affect football should be ignored?
Not sure that makes any sense.
May be arsene wenger is above an average football manager. He has his flaws but he has stabilized arsenal for past 6 years weathering the financial crisis that arsenal were in and still are.
Financial crisis w.r.t charity, moneybags, manure, really mads and faarca. Come to think of it, Arsenal have difficulty to beat only these teams on paper. Arsenal rather gooners feel really comfortable facing all the rest of the teams,
David O leary would agree with you
A degree in economics, he does know his shit.
Maybe the degree in economics is the problem. He’s the manager of the team, not the football club. And I don’t buy into the rich owners leaving thier clubs on a whim. They might sell them on but I doubt any would just abandon an investment so lightly.
Yes, but the point is the club becomes entirely reliant on one person to support them.
I know people call for billionaire funding all the time but surely it’s much better if the football club is financially sound and profitable in itself
I think your latter paragraph is, for me, the crux of the matter. Yes the idea is to have a financially sound football club which is profitable. However, will we remain just that if we miss out on Champions League football? As an increasing number of teams are toys for billionaires and our recruitment and wage policy leave a lot to be desired there is a real chance that may happen. I hope not and I think we have a good chance of fourth place but that’s the harsh reality of it. Additionally, as valid as Msr Wenger’s point is… Read more »
The most intelligent manager, certainly in England, today.
If the decision is for the club to sell it’s soul for possibly short term gain and long term pain, or hope (and it’s only hope) it all goes tits elsewhere, and we come out the other side in good shape, personally I’d take the wait.
We are THE Arsenal. Class all the way.
Couldn’t agree more mate, well said.
I agree with Wenger’s outlook, it will certainly be interesting to see how these super rich clubs operate in an huge economic crisis.
However, this doesn’t excuse him from his flawed transfer and youth policy for the last few years. It took an 8-nil hammering to force him and the club to change tact, when everyone else could see the problems with the team.
Feeling kind of pendantic pointing this out but it was 8-2 not 8-0.
Feel rather pedantic now – in pointing out pendantic 🙂
Haha, thanks. I forgot about the 2 goals we scored, such was the distress caused by the 8 we let in.
thats class indian gooner
So no signings is January then is the bottom line. me thinks arsene is teeing us up For the coming disapointment.
I wouldn’t assume that mate, w eall know of his long standing interest in players like M’Villa, Cahill and Hazard. Depending on their clubs playing situation in January we may see bids for those players, I am certain the spending isn’t over. We have only patche dup our squad from what we have lost, we haven’t improved it and Wenger isn’t a stupid man, he knows we need to improve.
It’s a question of what Arsene the economist and Arsene the football lover belIeves. He might be right, but it seems disingenous that he thinks the influx of billionaires is necessarily going to colapse the system. M
The economics are simply unsustainable looking towrds the future. Wenger is correct, and he is intelligent and we sometimes forget this. Maybe he should focus a bit more on spending than balancing the books, I am sure we have excellent expetrts in that field… but i am grateful that we have a concienious (to tired to spell?) manager apposed to a laundry basket hiding fiddler or a scarf wearing tosser who are able to buy championships, lets not forget that United are in debt! Anyhow cannot fuckin wait to see Psycho Frimpong alongside Hammer leg Song this morning! Go the… Read more »
Who was being stupid? Not clear. Le Boss is also a man who happens to hold a masters in economics…..chances are, he has a different perspective, due to being in the KNOW – club affairs, as well as a different understanding/interpretation of the financial mess the rest of the world is facing to a massive percentage (75?) of football fans in the world? So people will label him whatever. When his teams were successful, he sang the same tune and was as shrewd as ever. It’s nothing new. And to suggest some form of memetics has taken place, just shows… Read more »
Well said mate, I agree with everything you say there.
And, that was a reply to Victor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJf3NSr2eds&feature=related
Arsebloggers, you gotta check this out! Hilarious.
Ha ha ha… dude that is so funny… lol
[…] off, Arsene Wenger believes that football and society as a whole would suffer should teams like Man Ctiy and Chelsea be allowed to frivolously throw petroleum money […]
Good close to this article. The repercussions are already being seen in a footballing sense and I agree that this must surely stretch to a financial crisis in the game too.
Great article blogs, the last paragraph is fantastic. I have to admit I’ve been frustrated with Wenger in recent months, but my criticisms are limited to his football decisions (tactics, substitutions, etc.) and not his transfer policy. The economic transformation that the club has made under his leadership is incredible. I think Wenger’s reluctance to spend was due to his “forecast” of this financial crisis. I’ve always read that Wenger evaluates every signing economically, particularly by estimating their potential re-sale value. Re-sale values after an economic crisis will drop immensely. Perhaps that’s we’ve bought older players this summer. When re-sale… Read more »
Arsene is, of course right. We have entered a new era in football, one that is dominated by exorbitant amounts of money. For a while Arsenal was a big club because of it’s London location and its world wide recognized name, but all of that has changed. Chelsea ushered in the era of oil money excess, while in Spain the heavily skewed television contracts ensure Barca and Madrid financial stability (and perhaps not even that as Barca continues to spend money it doesn’t quite have). Arsene is also justifiably angry because this sort of evolution throws all his hard work… Read more »
These economic troubles are part of what makes me crazy about Arsene’s dealing. Why did he put off foreign tours for so long? Why wont he sign stars to bigger contracts? These contracts can be offset with apparel sales and more high profile marketing deals. Manchester United have owners who are leaching off the club and yet they are expanding the brand, buying big players and keeping theirs with big contracts. All the while paying down debt and becoming more and more valuable. I am fine with Arsenal not buying established stars for big money but you can’t have it… Read more »
Sadly you need a sugar daddy to win in the EPL nowadays but that still does not excuse us from not spending on much needed additions when we had the resources over the last few years.
That is wrong HP. ManU do not have a Sugar Daddy. Their owners are raising revenues. They leach money from the club but have some how increased the size of the playing squad and been profitable at the same time. AND they just won the league.
Intriguing statement by arsene. The club are run in a unique way that has opened uefas eyes to how clubs could operate sensibly .there is something wrong in my eyes ,when a club that has spent so recklessly and deep on debt can suddenly compete for the biggest players again just through a change in ownership and with cash injections.it does not reflect what’s going on the pitch or in a teams fall down the table .it makes the rewards of winning pointless when the losers (badly run clubs both on and off the pitch) can suddenly re-emerge seemingly in… Read more »