Arsenal has become a feeder club. It is hard to accept that as an Arsenal fan but looking back at the last few seasons it indeed seems to be the case. Here, I wouldn’t hold Arsenal or Arsene Wenger responsible. I don’t think the club or the manager are at fault because the matter is beyond them. It is an issue with football as a whole; with the fall of loyalty and the introduction of ‘oil money’. It is a disgusting fact, but at the end of the day, it is true. It has to be accepted.
Wenger’s policy of grooming talent for the club is admirable; it is one of the reasons that some fans choose to support the club. The philosophy is in place – the club works as a family and the cogs of the machine turn themselves to churn out a brilliant outcome. Or at least this seemed to be the case until 2004. Suddenly we have Roman Abramovich stepping into the picture and shaping up a decent Chelsea side into champions by way of his stupendous investments. Abramovich’s efforts were credible at the time and he helped place Chelsea into ‘The Big Four’ alongside Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal. Although it was overlooked at the time, it has lead to a prominent problem in today’s English game; money being pumped into a club is causing results on the field.
Chelsea wasn’t so much of an issue at the time. The transfers that were made were considerably larger than most other clubs but the competition still seemed to be fair. But introduce into this picture the ambition of Thaksin Shinawatra to get the ball rolling and the money of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and we have new champions in the form of Manchester City. Sure Manchester City played well and deserved the title for all their efforts last season and signings before that, but it is appalling to think that the loyalty of a footballer now lies with the highest wages.
Coming back to Arsenal, there always seems to be a lack of ambition. Not winning a trophy for 7 years and counting is more than just taunts from United supporters, it is a stab in the heart of the club and everyone who supports it. Why? Because the only things the modern footballer cares about are trophies and cheques. Granted that a footballer of world class standing deserves to be in a winning team and should have something to show for his time there, but going with the highest bidder just to increase your bank balance and have something shiny around your neck is definitely not what football is about.