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Arsène Wenger will be given considerable funds to strengthen Arsenal’s squad this summer and boost the club’s challenge in the Barclays Premiership. Keith Edelman, the managing director, told shareholders on Thursday that a “significant sum” would be made available to the manager for new players in an attempt to improve on their disappointing fourth-place finish this season.
Arsenal have the facility to spend £40 million on players over the course of next season as a result of a loan from Barclays, but such an outlay is unlikely. Wenger is adamant that he needs only one or two more players of “super quality” and is concentrating his efforts on signing Franck Ribéry, the winger, from Marseilles.
Thierry Henry predicted better things for Arsenal next season after a second successive campaign without silverware. The forward said he had experienced slumps with the club before and knew that fortunes can quickly change.
“I’d be lying if I said we have been successful – we haven’t been successful for two years,” Henry said. “My first season at Arsenal [in 1999-2000] was not a successful one and the second one was the same. Then we went on to win the Double in 2002 so you never know what can happen.
“If everybody is fit and fresh I don’t even think about not winning the title [next season]. I think we’re as good as Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
“I can understand losing the title race by a single goal but to be so far behind is hard to take.” Arsenal finished the season 21 points behind United.
“We’ve been here before and we’ve come out on top before. What comes around goes around,” Henry said. “Manchester United have won the Premiership this year but who would have said that they wouldn’t win it for three years in a row?”
Arsenal have struggled to settle in the Emirates Stadium after leaving Highbury last season. Although they lost only one game at home, they won 12, three fewer than United. Henry admitted that the move had proved more problematic than he expected, with Arsenal’s lack of history at their new ground robbing the club of some of its fear factor.
“I spoke to the boss about it and he raised a great point that when teams come to the Emirates they have no history of getting hammered,” Henry said. “They come fresh and have no history of losing a game.”
Henry said that Arsenal’s lack of width had hampered their season. “It’s a paradox. The Highbury pitch was smaller but we were finding more space,” he said. “Now nobody wants to stay on the wing to stretch a team and that makes a great difference.”
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we're not that far from being a great team, we scored more points againts the big 4 than any other team and did the double over Man U. Where we came unstuck was against clubs like west ham and sheffield united and this was because we couldn't finish any of our many chances.. we created about 17 chances against west ham and couldn't put the ball in the net for example... all we need to do is create a bit more width and Ribery would be a great signing that would help us do that and keep our first choice strikers fit for the season and we'll start hammering teams again the way we used to. We do not need the likes of Kroenke and his money to do this and we're only skint due to the move, our cashflow has increased and when the propertys go on sale we'll see additional income that will beef up the coffers without some rich American plunging the club even further into debt and using us supporters to pay for it. Stop panicking and have faith, we've done it before and we'll do it again.
waltdangerfield, London,
Monsieur Wenger, the only transfers that justify £40M Barclays loan is for Ribéry and Eto'o. And if Titi stays put, Arsenal is set for greatness. The stakes are too high to settle for less.
Costanzia, La la land,
Its strange that no Premiership club has showed interest in Tevez. Is he too good for the Premiership or is the Premiership too good for him ?
Abid Khan, Milton Keynes, UK
fantastic new straight MR WENGER should now go for Ribeary, Quaresma and Sissoko and we will be sorted
tesleem anthonio, harlow, uk
How ridiculous the football association has become
victor, westclff on sea, uk
Mr Wenger has been saying that he is happy with his squad. Which is a nonsense I believe. There are way too many flops in it. Senderos and Hleb for example. They are called talents but they are rather not up to it. Particularly the midfield is under strenght. They are light weight. How much we miss Viera and Pires. But hopefully Mr Wenger comes to sense and splashes out the money.
Tibi, Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Its bad enough with David Dein not being around to handle the stability of the Arsenal ,especially with transfers in the summer ,but to lose Arsene Wenger , who i think all true Arsenal fans will agree has really structured the club to the way it ticks now would be the biggest blow.As for Thierry Henry well come on we hear this every year.Is he going ,isnt he going,he can obviously see the same as the rest of us they play superb football and they can definately bounce back next season and win trophys .The sole reason we are so far behind this term is lack of first class back up strikers . With Henry ,Van Persie , Adebayor,and unless Wenger makes a very unwise decision to sell Bendtner,we will be up there again.Heres to next season !.
sp, hitchin, hertfordshire
If true, this is truly frightening. The fact that we need a "loan from Barclays" to make £40M available for possible player acquisitions just shows how skint Arsenal are. The likes of Chelsea, Man U and Liverpool (as well as perhaps now West Ham and maybe Man City) will all be able to compete more effectively in the transfer market than us. It just all seems to be going wrong for Arsenal now, and if the board are not careful they'll lose Wenger and along with him Henry, Cesc etc. We've been through the whole Ashley Cole affair and lost a good player totally unnecessarily, we've let players walk away on a free, we've lost a key negotiator in David Dein - The board seem to have no concept of how far behind we are falling. Now that the silly season is upon us I suppose we'll be hearing all sorts of stuff, but it's all very worrying nonetheless.
MM, Epping, Essex
i know we will do better next season. and am happy the way our young guns av bein playing. but i think if you spend
sum money on 2 defenders ,and 1 on a midfilder we would do better. what do u think, i might be wrong but thats what i think.
wayne hutton, wolverhampton, west midland
More width? How about Tevez for a start.
JP, San Francisco, USA
Arsene Wenger should now sign Semuel Eto'o and Frank Ribeary!
Ahsan Shahzad, Karachi, Pakistan
want Asene to transfer Quaresma and Tevez
Daniel Wilson-Nortey, Accra, Ghana
i have been intersted by the arsenale fc whte theye doying fore next seasanes;its good 40miilions fore new players;becouse of iam arsenale fans i wishe to see next year samoile eto in arsenale;
bedilu, Addis Ababa, ethiopia
It absolutely amazes any supporter of the Arsenal why Barca for five seasons keep saying they have held talks with Thierry .He is without a shadow of a doubt the finest striker in the english game so im sure they think all this media attention may unsettle him but lets just think for a moment he has won everything worth winning in England he has also won the World cup and if it is the European Cup he wants more than anything he must look around the youngsters we have to realise that is not far away from happening.
mt, stotfold, uk
i think we are the best team by a mile in the premership, however our key players had been missing in important peroids in the season. we do need a couple of players and we romp the league as we have the best up and coming squad in the world. our players like manchester united players when sir alex intoduced his youth , before the decade of dominace needed maturing. after that united ruled the roost
i beleive we will rule the prem for years with or without wenger or henry, what the wenger has given us is a legacy of good scouting, training , the best up and coming talent that the premership has ever seen. wenger is king.
if we need a couple of players i would like to see at arsenal, owen or eto, ribery, and another defender,the keeper that we have brought is very good. i would like robino here also. we have a lot players that we coul get rid of and give us more money.
we are coming for the titles in europe.
James wolf, northampton, great britan
sack aw? for tony adams of roy keane??? Hanif why don't you try following another sport mate, this football lark seems beyond you.
arealgooner, Manchester, UK
hi
its time to sack aw and pr. get tony adams or roy keanne
as the next galactico to take arsenal from the current
pathetic and brainless situation.
haniff ashburn, perth, australia
SO as to strengthen the squad ,arsene wennger should buy at least two world class players who can play in the wing as Ribery and at front like Eto.
chalachew , Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
If Wenger has 40 million to spend, he should buy Eto'o, Ribbery, Micah Richards and Slyvian Distin who is on a free transfer from Man City. Curtis Davies will be a good buy too. I also believe that the beast should stay as experience has shown that most players don't click in their first year in premiership. But the problem is Wenger is too stubborn and may not use up half of the money.
ifeanyi, birmingham, UK
£40 Million is alot of money to spend and as a Arsenal fan im exicted about £40 million. eto'o and Ribery could both coe for that
Thomas Davis, Luton,