Arsenal ready to spend big on players - Ivan Gazidis
Last updated on .From the section Football
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis says the club are ready to "escalate" their spending next season.
Asked whether Arsenal could afford to spend a £20m transfer fee on a single player, and offer salaries of £200,000 per week, he said: "Of course we could do that. We could do more than that."
But he warned that boss Arsene Wenger, who Gazidis says will stay "long term", will not necessarily spend such money.
"It is going to be the players that Arsene believes in," Gazidis said.
"He is pretty blind to price tags, he looks at what he sees with his eyes and makes judgements based on that, not on reputations and prices."
The Gunners have been linked with summer moves for and Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Higuain.
In England, only Manchester United and Chelsea brought in more revenue than the north London club during the 2011-12 season, according to the Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance 2013.
Arsenal signed a new £150m shirt-sponsorship deal with Emirates airline in November, while they have also brought in almost £75m from the recent sales of Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie.
"We have a certain amount of money which we have held in reserve," Gazidis said.
"We also have new revenue streams coming on board and all of these things mean we can do some things which would excite you, but what excites Arsene isn't necessarily what excites you.
"This year we are beginning to see something we have been planning for some time - the escalation in our financial firepower.
"That is going to happen partly into next season, it is part way available now in the summer, but the following season as well.
"It is a progression over the next two seasons and is quite significant for the club."
Wenger, 63, is starting the final season of his current contract but Arsenal expect him to sign a new deal.
Gazidis said: "We have got a fantastic manager. We hope that he wants to do what he is doing for the long term. I believe he does.
"Quietly and at the right time I think we will make an announcement on a new deal when things are put in place."
in the Premier League last month, securing Champions League football for the 17th successive year.
But the club have not won a trophy since lifting the FA Cup in 2005, and had a poor season in the cups last year.
They went out of the Capital One Cup to League Two side Bradford and lost in the FA Cup at home to Championship side Blackburn. Their European hopes were ended at the first knock-out stage by eventual winners Bayern Munich, despite a second-leg win in Germany.
However, Gazidis says he is confident they can win trophies again under Wenger.
He said: "We have a great relationship and he has a great relationship with the board as well.
"We have got a lot of confidence in Arsene that he is the right person to take the club forward."
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Do not negatively rate them - this just gives the poster(s) the attention and the tops ranking for negative posts that they obviously crave.
As for the article - Arsenal clearly need to spend this summer if they have aspirations of competing for the PL title again, but they have a good squad to build on!
The Arsenal fans should damn evidence first before commiting their cash. Just my opinion.
They have won a place in the Champions league next season, 16 prem teams didn’t do that.
Wigan won the FA cup but were relegated, would you swap places with them?
I would like to see the Cobblers have the kind of success that Arsenal have had over the last twenty years.
Arsenal are a brilliant football club and a great example to all aspiring clubs.
The only reason why our club has had to sell our top players in the last few years was purely to pay the debt for a stadium.
Which we have finished paying this season
Unlike any of the past 8 seasons, we are not selling any of our most influential players.
Now is the time for Arsenal to grow.
Especially with70m to spend -every summer
Arsenal are not the only club in England to build a new stadium in the last 50 years, so please get your facts right. Although credit to them for building it themselves rather than at the expense of the taxpayers like Man City (although they pay decent rent) or West Ham (ridiculous decision for a council to loan them money when they can bid £30million+ for two players!)
Oh dear, another '4th place is a trophy' lunatic. As an Arsenal fan, it cringes me out when other 'fans' celebrate wildly when we finish 4th. It's embarrassing.
Can you imagine Viera, Bergkamp, Henry, Adams etc celebrating like that? When you see 4th place as the biggest prize in a season, you know you've lost that winning mentality..
Strong PL over the next few years; resurgent MC, new look MU, growing Spurs, financially competitive Arsenal, rebuilt LFC, CFC re-emerging as title contenders, and maybe others!
mu fan
The key here is anonymity. Brave men (or puerile juveniles) hiding behind a key board.
Noe if they were to go into a pub and spout exactly the same rubbish.... well..... it isn't going to happen.
Anyway, it would be nice to see Arsenal and 5 other teams battling it out until season's end.
yet everyone is saying arsenal needs to spend money on players?
..Arsenal have done it right, end of! When teams around them got rich quick.. they've stuck through and have the best stadium in the land.
Us up the road have taken note and on the same progression route.
Fair play to still being competitive without selling your soul!
Spurs & Arsenal will survive financial fair play and come out smelling of roses