Wenger can spend big on transfers and wages
-
Arsene Wenger has been told there is a "substantial budget" to spend on players and wages to turn Arsenal into Premier League champions. Arsenal director Danny Fiszman insisted Wenger will be backed in the transfer market because there is "great belief" in him despite going three years without silverware. And he was adamant the club's wage structure was not an obstacle to signing top players, even after midfielder Mathieu Flamini quit the Emirates to join AC Milan for £60,000- a-week after tax.
Arsenal boss Wenger is close to completing an £11million deal for Marseille forward Samir Nasri and Fiszman says there will be more money available to try to narrow the gap on Manchester United and Chelsea. Arsenal's wage bill was just £2m less than Manchester United's, according to figures from Deloitte and Touche, and Fiszman says the club can compete for the best players.
Fiszman, the power broker on the Arsenal board, said: "We've never said no to Arsene so I'm sure that, whoever he wishes to bring in, he will be fully supported. "There's no set amount. But as I said we've always supported Arsene, we've never said no to him and have no intention of saying no to him.
"I think Arsene said it's not a big name we're after, it's a big talent. I think it's about big talents and committed players. "We made a substantial offer to Mathieu. It was considerable and in line with our wage structure but he chose to go elsewhere. "We wish him luck and thank him for what he's done for the club.
"You say we don't pay the wages other teams do. If you look at our total wage costs you'll see they're virtually the same as Manchester United and substantially more than Liverpool. "Of course we're all a little less than Chelsea who are in a world of their own. But compared to Manchester United and Liverpool we're good payers.
"We believe it's a team sport and we do well but we don't want the disparity between the top-earner and the bottom-earner being too big. It takes 11 people on the pitch to deliver."
Fiszman, in an interview to be broadcast on Arsenal TV today, believes the Gunners will be strong enough to come back next season after tailing off in the title race. The diamond tycoon added: "Obviously the way we finished was disappointing, but I think it has to be seen as a successful season even though we didn't win any trophies. "I think if you had asked fans at the start of the season if they would have been happy to finish fourth, qualify for Champions League football and finish within 15 points of Manchester United, they would have taken it.
"The football we played through the year created expectations, and the fact we had a five-point lead created even greater expectations, so I think everybody is deflated. "But we need to balance that and remember where we were the previous year, so as long as we are seeing continuous improvement we have to be satisfied.
"If we look back where we were last year, we've taken great strides. The critics wrote us off and gave us no chance of qualifying for the Champions League, but the team proved itself. "In the context of the season we came very close and we're disappointed we didn't win it but we've made a constant improvement and that's what we seek always."
THE BIG FOUR .. IT'S A RICH MAN'S WORLD
The wage bill and transfer outlays of the top four (06-07)
Chelsea
£125m Wage bill
£68m Transfer bill
Man United
£92m Wage bill
£61m Transfer bill
Arsenal
£90m Wage bill
£11m Transfer bill
Liverpool
£80m Wage bill
£26m Transfer bill