Arsenal Transfer News: Massive Summer Spending Isn't Answer for Gunners

Arsenal don't want to pull a Tottenham.

For years now, Gooners have been calling for Arsene Wenger to dig into the club's transfer war chest and spend money on the necessary additions to take the club from merely a top-four finisher to a title challenger.

Although we go through the same song and dance every summer, it would seem that Wenger has become truly more receptive toward the idea of seriously strengthening his squad in the transfer market, per Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail:

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We know we have to have a successful June and July, that's where you strengthen the team. It's very important that we are good now in the next two months until the end of August, that we can give to the team some more quality and go into next season with the belief we got from [the FA Cup] win. Should the fans expect a big summer? Yes, they should expect that.

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It may sound contradictory, but Arsenal need to be careful this summer, because spending too much money could end up disrupting the side and making things worse than they are.

The Gunners merely need to look to their north London neighbors to see what overspending can do.

Tottenham Hotspur spent over £100 million last summer in order to recover from the loss of Gareth Bale.

As a result, expectations were high at White Hart Lane coming into the 2013/14 season. Many thought this would be the year Spurs would finish ahead of Arsenal.

What ended up happening, though, was that so many new players came into the squad that Tottenham lacked any fluidity for months. Andre Villas-Boas was sacked, and hiring Tim Sherwood was an even bigger misstep.

That's to say nothing of how poorly many of the club's summer signings fared.

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Roberto Soldado, who cost a whopping £26 million, scored a paltry six goals in the league. Simon Johnson of The Independent reported that the Spanish striker may move to Atletico Madrid this summer.

Erik Lamela was an even bigger disaster. The Argentine winger, who broke the club's transfer record at £30 million, appeared in only nine Premier League matches and had the fourth-lowest rating on the club, according to WhoScored.com.

One year later, and Spurs' two biggest catches could be gone.

Tottenham are far from alone in proving that spending big in the transfer market isn't always a guarantee of success.

Liverpool learned the error of their ways after shelling out £35 million for Andy Carroll. Aston Villa spent well above their means and are paying the price now. The same goes for Queens Park Rangers and Cardiff City.

Yes, Manchester City have spent hundreds of millions of pounds in their pursuit of the Premier League and Champions League titles, but Arsenal can't exactly follow that kind of blueprint.

What the Gunners should do is emulate what Liverpool have done in the transfer market after the Carroll debacle. According to Transfer League, the Reds haven't spent more than £56.4 million in any of the last three seasons.

That's a lot of money, but nothing compared to what City or Chelsea have done. Liverpool's core has largely been the same for a few years now, with additions such as Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge filling in the cracks. 

Fenway Sports Group and Brendan Rodgers kept their business relatively restrained, and it's paid huge dividends.

As much as Gooners get frustrated about their club's lack of activity in the transfer market, the fact of the matter is that Arsenal don't need a radical overhaul in order to be title contenders.

Rick Broadbent of The Times believes that James Milner and a striker would get the job done:

You'd add a right-back to that list following the departure of Bacary Sagna, per Matthew Morlidge of the Daily Mail.

Still, that's not a huge job, and anywhere between £60-75 million should be enough to get three quality players in addition to some squad guys to provide depth.

According to Sky News Radio (via the Metro), Queens Park Rangers forward Loic Remy is headed to the Emirates Stadium for around £10 million.

Scott Heppell/Associated Press

If that goes through, it would be the perfect addition for Arsenal's strike force. The Gunners don't need a replacement for Olivier Giroud, merely a complement. Karim Benzema would be nice but altogether unnecessary:

Plus, £10 million would leave the club with plenty of money to address what are the larger issues: defensive midfield and right-back.

The biggest problem for Arsenal isn't that they haven't bought anybody, but that they've continually lost their best players every summer.

Sagna aside, it doesn't look as if the Gunners will have to replace any vital assets this year. Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Theo Walcott and Giroud are all going be back next season, barring some unforeseen catastrophe.

Young players such as Gedion Zelalem, Yaya Sanogo and Serge Gnabry should also take steps forward in their development.

Wenger should be a bit more bullish in the transfer market this summer. Rather than trying to please a certain section of supporters who will only be happy when the club is spending £200 million, though, he must remain measured with his business.

Arsenal don't need a complete face-lift this summer. They merely need to iron out the few wrinkles in the squad.