Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Must Make Big Splash on Transfer Market

Arsene Wenger hasn’t exactly been the model of a free-spending manager in his time at Arsenal, but he’s also been strapped with financial constraints as a result of limited Champions League success. It’s been a vicious cycle of spending too little to win enough, in turn having little wiggle room on the transfer market.

But after Arsenal secured a top-four finish last term, the club appears ready to finally start spending some cash—at least that’s what chief executive Ivan Gazidis suggests. As quoted by David Hytner of the Guardian, Gazidis believes Arsenal are now capable of spending at the “highest level”:

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We could do that, we could do more than that. We have a certain amount which we've held in reserve and we also have new revenue streams coming on board. All of these things mean we can do some things which would excite you. We can think about all kinds of things.

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Gazidis’ remarks are encouraging for fans, but they also put Wenger in a difficult situation. With a veritable blank check with which to work, the Arsenal boss has to put the club’s money where their mouth is.

The problem is this: After years of promising to spend on various players in an attempt to significantly improve the club—and rarely following through—Wenger is the boy who cried wolf. Fans will believe it when they see it.

Wenger doesn’t necessarily have to prove anything, but a big part of maintaining a top Premier League club is keeping the fans happy. There would be no better way to do so than by making a big splash on the transfer market with a marquee signing.

Or at least a few of the top-shelf variety.

As noted by James Riach of the Guardian on June 3, Wenger admitted he wouldn’t turn down an opportunity to sign a player like Wayne Rooney—a player whose transfer fee would far eclipse any major signing under Wenger’s direction.

While that situation is purely hypothetical at this point, Wenger isn’t without other intriguing options. And according to Tancredi Palmeri of CNN, Arsenal may be close to acquiring one of those options:

Gonzalo Higuain may not be on the same level as a player like Rooney, but he would be a tremendous acquisition for a club that needs to start making a splash on the transfer market. If Arsenal can secure Higuain, it will be a massive step in the right direction for Wenger as he attempts to break free of the labels that have followed him in recent years.

Of course, making a splash on the summer transfer market would go far beyond just repairing Wenger’s image. There’s something to be said for paying top dollar for top talent.

It goes without saying that Arsenal need to continue replenishing their talent to keep pace with the giants of the EPL. Expecting to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United without shelling out the cash is simply a pipe dream. It probably can’t be done.

For Arsenal to remain competitive and to top their fourth-place EPL finish last term—as well as break free of the “cheapskate” label—the club has to spend. It’s a vicious cycle of mediocrity and tight finances, and with Arsenal finally out from under it, they can’t afford to not spend this summer.