Sustainable Development Is the Order of the Day

The January transfer window has opened, and with its re-opening comes the pressure from fans of certain clubs to spend. With respect to Arsenal, the fans have been crying out for signings from the time the summer transfer window closed. With captain Cesc Fabregas' injury, will there be anything significant done on the transfer front?

I wouldn't hold my breath.

As I wrote in one of my previous articles, it is my honest opinion that Arsenal do not have the required money to spend on the names that are being bandied about—and certainly not at the prices which have been quoted by many media outlets.

The economic slowdown has hit many football clubs hard. Chelsea have said that they don't have the funds to spend unless they sell. The only club that probably has the resources to spend, and spend big, is Manchester City.

So where does that leave Arsenal?

The problem with the club is that there are contradicting views emanating from within it. Whether they have any subtext to them is hard to say, but the fact is that Danny Fizsman, a few months back said that there are substantial funds to spend and Arsene Wenger and the chairman have suggested off late that they might not have such a substantial amount of money to spend on transfers.

So, does Arsenal F.C. really have the money to spend on the likes of Arshavin, or are we going to wait for some cut-price deals or loans?

The answer lies somewhere in between. Danny Fizsman's message, coupled with Arsene Wenger's statement that he was going to spend wisely, gives a very subtle message to potential sellers that Arsenal will not pay over the odds for players.

Wenger has a mixed record in terms of how many players he has signed in January. In 2006, he signed Emmanuel Adebayor, Theo Walcott, and Abou Diaby but when many said that the team needed some strengthening last season, he refused to sign a single player.

This time, Arsenal certainly need reinforcements. In fact, they need a solid holding midfielder and a creative player—something which Wenger himself has acknowledged. Also required, in many fans' views, is a no-nonsense centre-back.

Wenger, though, in his prematch press conference yesterday suggested that he doesn't want to indulge in transfer talk and that whatever he and his staff are doing will reward Arsenal in the next decade.

Over time, an important concept in economics known as "sustainable economic development" has evolved, with countries choosing to use lesser natural resources like coal, and shifting to alternative sources of energy—while ensuring a high level of productivity. While initially, this may take awhile—this will reward economies, and the environment in the coming years.

A parallel has developed today with the development of home-grown players and the availability of money.

Arsene Wenger, who is an economics major himself, is well aware of the current conditions. One of the interesting questions posed to him in the transfer market is the weakness of the pound to the euro and whether that would hinder clubs' prospects in the transfer market, and the answer was obviously and unequivocal, "yes."

The all important question is whether Arsene Wenger can ensure that the club ensures success in the short-term and also develop home-grown talent in the long-run. The problem with Wenger's plan is that the players he has at his disposal at the minute are not good enough to win trophies—they might have potential without a doubt, but that cannot be realised unless they play with some experienced players by their side.

Another potential problem is that there is a considerable amount of turnover of current players—who today, are mercenaries and want to leave at the sight of a better monetary offer. You wonder what this Arsenal team would have achieved had the likes of Mathieu Flamini and Alex Hleb still remained at the club.

It's a difficult balancing act, which Wenger claims he was well aware of when he signed his new deal last season. He certainly isn't so myopic to understand the current problems in the current Arsenal squad. 

The defects range from player problems, a lack of concentration in midfield, and defense and also a lack of experience at times. 

The problem with football, unlike economics, is that the future depends heavily upon present success. Football clubs will not get bailout packages from anyone if they go bankrupt. They're not economies by themselves.

Patience is something that Arsenal fans have to possess at this time—one can ask, how much patience? Liverpool fans have been patient for over a decade and now, Liverpool lie at the top of the table and are in contention to win the Premier League. 

Arsenal F.C. has the potential to go places—but the potential can only be realised with current success. It's going to be a difficult task for Arsene Wenger and Ivan Gazidis to ensure profitability with an under-performing squad of players.

Sustainable development is the order of the day without a doubt—but a couple of sensible, Wenger-like signings is what Arsenal require today and one can only hope that the Professor is working on some sort of solution to ensure that he achieves success during his time at Arsenal.