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By Tony Attwood
And in addition to that question in the headline, does it matter?
Now there is one factor about the modern day Arsenal and that is that after the fiasco of Emery’s buy and sell policy, Arsenal are keeping their spending under control (while as we can see from the current figures, Emery has taken his wild tactics on transfers that he had at Arsenal, on to Aston Villa, and in FFP terms they are now paying the price).
Meanwhile, Arsenal not only buy with care, they also have their academy, which seems now to have gone into hyper mode as we start to learn that in the last capaign there were seven Arsenal youth players who trained with the first team in the latter part of the season.
Top of the list of promising youngsters seems to be Max Downman who became the youngest player ever to play in Arsenal’s under 18 sideand at 14, and more recently the youngest to play for the under 21s. Last September he was also the youngest ever to score in the Uefa Youth League, having been the first 14-year-old to score for the under-17s. In the under-17s European Championship he started in all three of England’s games, despite being the youngest player in the entire competition.
And of course he comes along after a whole series of Arsenal youth players who have progressed into the first team including, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri. One wonder what Reuell Walters is now thinking having turned down a contract with Arsenal to go and play for Luton Town.
But where one player leaves there are many more coming up behind. Seven players were all involved in first-team training toward the end of last season. That certainly reduces the strain on the transfer budget.
Plus of course there is no limit on the number of under-21s that can come into the squad – which is a bonus because that helps Arsenal meet its FFP requirements
And yet despite this array on young talent, Arsenal are still third in the current window’s expenditure table. For if we look at the clubs in order of their balance sheet (ie the money spent minus the money received) we find Liverpool with a net spend of €-245.38m followed by Manchester United on €-153.20m and then Arsenal on €-149.80m.
The net spend table is, in fact, somewhat different from the table based just on expenditure of the clubs not least because some clubs are offloading players as fast as they can. Wolverhampton either have let go or sold 14 players, Everton 13, Brighton 12, Burnley 11. But when it comes to clubs measured by the number of players they have brought in, we have a top ranking of Chelsea, Brighton, Burnley and Liverpool.
So, looking at the transfer table from every angle, we can see that in terms of the top spenders, it is Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United making up the top four. In terms of the top sellers in money terms, it is Bournemouth, Brighton, Chelsea and Wolverhampton.
Selling happens of course, for all sorts of reasons. Chelsea just seem to buy and sell as part of their everyday activity, with a grand total of 30 arrivals and departures already this summer and we still have almost six weeks to go. Compare this with Arsenal’s total of 19 comings and goings,
Much of this is to do with the attitude of the club, ranging from Chelsea, who have now made buying and selling players their main business. Fulham on the other hand seem to be reluctant to do anything at all (one player in, three players out).
And it was the strange Fulham figures that made me take in the full range of figures by each measurement for last season.
For expenditure, the range was from €42m spent by Liverpool up to €281.90m spent by Chelsea, suggesting that mass buying is not always the best way forward.
For income from sales, the range was from €257.17m for Aston Villa down to €2.36m achieved by Ipswich Town. In terms of the balance, Aston Villa made the biggest profit at €42.97m and Brighton the biggest loss at €-231.46m.
Last season in terms of expenditure, Arsenal were 12th, in terms of sales, Arsenal were 10th as they were in terms of the balance of profit and loss. A mid-table club coming second in the league, suggesting buying and selling is not the key to everything.
For clubs that go beserk and spend like mad still have to balance the books under the FFP rules – which is what has caught Aston Villa out. Chelsea buy and sell all day long but don’t necessarily find a balanced team and the result might well be players not knowing exactly what is going on. Indeed, it could be argued that players are becoming reluctant to go to Chelsea, knowing that in six months’ time they could be moved on again. At Arsenal, however, they know they will be given a fair chance.
