‘It’s not just about spending money!’ Arsenal can WIN the Premier League title without making any more signings, claims Ivan Gazidis
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has warned fans not to expect any more big-money signings this summer, as he believes the current Gunners squad have what it takes to win the Premier League title.
Arsene Wenger’s side finished runners-up to top flight champions Leicester City last season, but that was despite a largely unimpressive campaign and fans are eager to see long-awaited improvements to the team ahead of the new term and, hopefully a fresh challenge.
The manager did not recruit a single outfield player last summer, buying goalkeeper Petr Cech from Chelsea, and only added midfielder Mohamed Elneny from Basle during the January transfer window.
This year he has already brought in Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka for a hefty £35million - a similar fee which has seen Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez join the club in recent summers.
But loyal supporters are still urging the club to seek more arrivals, and in particular a top class striker to spearhead their attack, with the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Gonzalo Higuain and Mauro Icardi all linked with moves to the Emirates Stadium.
But Gazidis, who has often faced the fans’ wrath over the club’s reluctance to match their biggest rivals’ spending, insists the club will only spend money when they deem it necessary.
"This approach, for us, gives us a very, very powerful balance because it's not just about spending money but about how you spend your money and doing it wisely," Gazidis told ESPN.
"It's about having a strong core philosophy and values within the club that players buy into and our fans can be proud of.
"These are all things that lead to success, and when you look at Arsenal over the last four or five years, there's no question that the squad has been progressing in strength.
"We've got a squad now that we believe is capable of competing to win the Premier League. We came in second last year, which was disappointing. But we're on the right track."
After paying off their move to the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal now have the financial muscle to compete for the biggest names following years of being beaten to the punch.
But Gazidis insists they will continue with their policy of believing in their young talent and do not operate to a model that would see them match the money being spent by rivals with wealthy backers.
"We're making progress in what is a fiercely competitive world, against competitors that have the capability to spend far more money than we do," he said.
"We're doing it by being very, very disciplined; spending money where we believe it makes a difference, but also giving young players a chance and believing in ourselves and our values."