Hello folks.
The week continues to drag by with little to no news, but I've noticed an interesting trend during this transfer window that wasn't there last year, namely: Arsenal's been dominating the transfer market.
Seriously, just look at the other top English clubs. Liverpool? Bought a slew of (mediocre) players, but only because they've sold Suarez for a hefty sum of money. Chelsea? The moneybags had a couple of good acquisitions, but these were sponsored by Luiz and Lukaku? United? Shaw and Herrera, but rumour has it, they'll be putting a load of players on sale as soon as they get back. City? Where are they? Only Sagna and Lampard joined them, both as free agents.
Meanwhile, Arsenal's been firing cash at will. And it's not like we're going to stop. This article gives us a bit of an insight into the manager's thinking:
Looks like the remainder of our business will be done in these two weeks. But really, we don't need much. A DM (Carvalho, please?) and someone to replace Vermaelen. His departure seems to be a question of "when" rather than "if". And that's it. Two players, tops.
And who has left us? Two keepers? Bought Ospina. Sagna? Debuchy is the answer. But, while Fabianski, Viviano and Sagna were important players, none of them were leaders or, as we can see, none were irreplaceable. I dare say the ones we've brought in are actual upgrades, not just some young and inexperienced prospects.
Other big clubs haven't been able to spend as freely without first selling someone valuable. Even Barca sold Sanchez and Fabregas to compensate for Suarez. And the answer as to why we're splashing cash without losing talent and they are not is a simple one: Financial Fair Play.
Problem is, the clubs I've mentioned are unprofitable, despite the fact they actually win things. Arsenal, on the other hand, is a profitable club, despite all the moaning about the 4th place. That's what we've been building towards for 10 years. A self-sustaining model. We can spend what we earn, while other cannot. Because they don't earn. They lose money, even when they win trophies. So in order to buy someone, they'll have to first sell someone. Now let's see how their managers can operate on a tight budget. For now, it's not like they are having a good time, is it?
Finally for today, for those who've missed my last post, I've finally figured out how to subscribe using RSS. Just download an RSS reader of your choice, enter arsefanblog.blogspot.ru (.com may not work) and you are good to go. Also, you can follow me (@AlexBaguzin) on Twitter.
That's it for today. Back with the new bits as soon as they appear.
Until then
The week continues to drag by with little to no news, but I've noticed an interesting trend during this transfer window that wasn't there last year, namely: Arsenal's been dominating the transfer market.
Seriously, just look at the other top English clubs. Liverpool? Bought a slew of (mediocre) players, but only because they've sold Suarez for a hefty sum of money. Chelsea? The moneybags had a couple of good acquisitions, but these were sponsored by Luiz and Lukaku? United? Shaw and Herrera, but rumour has it, they'll be putting a load of players on sale as soon as they get back. City? Where are they? Only Sagna and Lampard joined them, both as free agents.
Meanwhile, Arsenal's been firing cash at will. And it's not like we're going to stop. This article gives us a bit of an insight into the manager's thinking:
"But I think the second half of August, the 15th to 30th, will be busy again".
Looks like the remainder of our business will be done in these two weeks. But really, we don't need much. A DM (Carvalho, please?) and someone to replace Vermaelen. His departure seems to be a question of "when" rather than "if". And that's it. Two players, tops.
And who has left us? Two keepers? Bought Ospina. Sagna? Debuchy is the answer. But, while Fabianski, Viviano and Sagna were important players, none of them were leaders or, as we can see, none were irreplaceable. I dare say the ones we've brought in are actual upgrades, not just some young and inexperienced prospects.
Other big clubs haven't been able to spend as freely without first selling someone valuable. Even Barca sold Sanchez and Fabregas to compensate for Suarez. And the answer as to why we're splashing cash without losing talent and they are not is a simple one: Financial Fair Play.
Problem is, the clubs I've mentioned are unprofitable, despite the fact they actually win things. Arsenal, on the other hand, is a profitable club, despite all the moaning about the 4th place. That's what we've been building towards for 10 years. A self-sustaining model. We can spend what we earn, while other cannot. Because they don't earn. They lose money, even when they win trophies. So in order to buy someone, they'll have to first sell someone. Now let's see how their managers can operate on a tight budget. For now, it's not like they are having a good time, is it?
Finally for today, for those who've missed my last post, I've finally figured out how to subscribe using RSS. Just download an RSS reader of your choice, enter arsefanblog.blogspot.ru (.com may not work) and you are good to go. Also, you can follow me (@AlexBaguzin) on Twitter.
That's it for today. Back with the new bits as soon as they appear.
Until then