I’d never risk Arsenal’s future on huge gamble
ARTETA: IT’S RIGHT CLUB DON’T SHOP AT VERY TOP
MIKEL ARTETA claims crisis club Arsenal would have put their future at risk if they had gambled any bigger in the transfer market.
The Gunners spent more money than any other Premier League team this summer, splashing out £156million on six signings.
But none were marquee names, all were under 24 and the biggest fee was £50m for England defender BenWhite.
Arsenal face Norwich today at the foot of the table after their worst start to a league season in 67 years, with Arteta the bookies’ favourite for the sack.
But Arteta claims they were not prepared to risk paying the kind of fees Chelsea and Manchester City did for Romelu Lukaku (£97.5m) and Jack Grealish (£100m).
The Arsenal boss said: “It’s a completely different process. We could have taken a very different approach and just gone in the casino and gambled big. But that’s a big thing for the club, which could have put them in a live-or-die situation.
“We all believed it wasn’t what we could do and being responsible in that area I completely supported the strategy the club wanted.
“There’s been a lot of changes and let’s be positive and move forward. We are in a much better place now.
“I am really happy with what we have been able to do with the ideas we had. The complexity of this industry is planning a long project with immediate results.
“That is when we have to find the right trick in the car to make it go as fast as possible without breaking down.”
Arteta also claims Arsenal fans can expect the club to be much less busy in future windows. He said: “The amount of transactions that have needed to be made in the past two seasons – I think there were 29 – we cannot sustain that level of change.
“For many different reasons, but financially as well, as it wouldn’t be sustainable.”
Arteta accepts it could take years for his new-look young team to fulfil their potential.
He said: “You talk about a peak. Some of them have played 20, 30 matches in the Premier League. Other players have already played 200 games at that age, so it will take them some time to do that.”
Arteta’s own future could be far from safe if he does not get results at home to Norwich and at Burnley next weekend.
But he is happy to take the heat so that his team can play with the freedom they need to turn things around.
Arteta said: “Keep the focus on me. Leave the players alone, let them play with a free-flow.”