Will Arsene Wenger Finally Spend Some Money?

What a week it was for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger!

On Saturday, he decided to field a “weak” side in the FA Cup 5th Round match at home versus lower division side Blackburn Rovers, resting his star players for their Champions League match (also at home) against Bayern Munich.

The result? A shocking 1-0 loss Saturday to put them out of the FA Cup followed by a 3-1 loss to the Bundesliga leaders as their place in Europe’s top club tournament is now on life support.

Gunners fans have apparently had enough of the Arsenal manager and are calling for his exit.

Wenger has felt much of the ire of Gunners fans, and many are calling for his exit. Given that the club have not won a major trophy since 2005 (Facebook was just one year old then), why would you invest so much against a team (Munich) and a tournament (Champions League) you have little chance of winning over a tournament (FA Cup) where the prospect of winning it all is more realistic?

I do not believe that Arsene Wenger should be fired. He is one of the better managers in football. However, here’s a little advice:

Stop being so cheap!

Arsenal is one of the biggest clubs in world (the fourth most valuable in 2012 according to Forbes). Their owner, Stan Kroenke, is one of the richest men in the world (estimated at $4 billion).

So why is it that Wenger continues to forego signing big-name players for young, unproven players (most of whom have not lived up to expectations)? Why is he content to settle for good – but not great – players like Tomas Rosicky, Lucas Podolski and Adrei Arschavin? And how in the world does he continue to let the few great players exit stage right with no one to replace them?

How is Robin van Persie, last season’s Premier League top scorer and Footballer of the Year, allowed to leave your club for a rival club like Manchester United? How are Samir Nasir, Kolo Toure, and Gael Clichy all allowed to join Manchester City? And how can Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song be allowed to go to Barcelona? Moreover how can all these players  be allowed to leave a club like Arsenal while either at or approaching their prime years?

Wenger continues to be stubborn. Back in the 90s he had success by signing several young gems rather than overspend on a big-name talent. But today many of the big European clubs are investing in young talent IN ADDITION TO signing big names.  Arsenal needs to get with the times!

It must have been tough for fans of the club watching that match against Bayern Munich. The difference in class and talent between the two teams was evident for all to see.

Let’s hope that Wenger was paying attention!

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