Wenger ready to splash the cash after poor start

Before last week’s capitulation to Liverpool at the Emirates, Arsenal had only lost 5 out of 24 Premier League opening day fixtures. Now, the Gunners have lost the last two on the bounce. Over the last 10 years, Arsene Wenger’s side have averaged 3.2 points from the first two games of the season, this year they earned a solitary point.

Although Arsenal are typically slow starters, Wenger is now under more pressure to spend than ever before the transfer window slams shut at the end of the month.

“Emirates Cup 2009: The Boss” (CC BY 2.0) by Shever & Kimmrs

Saturday’s match against Leicester City ended 0-0 and added to the aggravation that a lot of supporters are feeling. Despite the fact that the Foxes were shock champions with odds of 5000/1 to win at the start of last season, Arsenal managed to topple them in both encounters of the 2015-16 campaign.

According to bgo, some of the biggest bets of all time have come about from betting on such unlikely outcomes, and Claudio Ranieri’s side’s charge to the top of the league led to some punters profiting greatly. This didn’t stop Wenger’s side beating them 5-2 in this fixture last year, though. They followed that up with a 2-1 victory at home to snatch all 6 points from the team that were storming to the title.

Speaking after the goalless draw between last season’s top two teams, Wenger stated that he is close to spending, but “spending and buying the right players” is still his philosophy. He said that he would:

“Spend £300million if I find the right player and I have £300million.”

After being linked with a number of top players in the transfer window but with nothing as yet coming to fruition apart from the deal for Granit Xhaka, this statement will draw some optimism from Arsenal fans. The club do have cash to spend, as they have shown in the recent past with big money moves for Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Xhaka.

“Arsenal Vs Watford” (CC BY 2.0) by joshjdss

After missing out on both Leicester aces Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, rumours suggest that Wenger has cast his gaze over to the Primeira Liga and Porto. Their young Algerian winger, Yacine Brahimi, reportedly wants to leave the club and has attracted interest from Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal. The Portuguese club have valued the 26-year-old at £40million. The technically gifted player with a knack for dribbling round defenders has scored 14 goals in 61 league appearances for Porto, and his style could fit perfectly at the Emirates.

There is also the pressing need for defensive cover, with Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista both side-lined through injury. According to The Mirror, Wenger has stated that the signing of a defender will happen before the transfer window closes, but as yet has refused to name anyone.

As it stands, Arsenal are 10/1 to win the league with Unibet and Bwin, and don’t appear to have enough depth in their squad to win the league this season. Encouragingly for fans, though, Wenger realises that. The Frenchman has been known to leave huge deals late in the past, as he did with Ozil, so supporters can be hopeful that he will make a similar big-money swoop this time before it’s too late.

Article Published: Wednesday, August 24, 2016 11:57 AM