Football News: Wenger Loves the Idea of Financial Regulations
Arsene Wenger talked to the media about the upcoming Champions League fixture, in the midweek. He liked the idea of some regulations by UEFA, which would put many teams under a lot of strain. Also, Wenger said that his team should have won the competition by now.
Currently, UEFA is planning to put tighter controls on different teams entering European competitions. It is suggested that in order to provide a level playing field, it would be better to control the finances of all other teams. This has become an issue since Real Madrid went on a spending spree, in order to strengthen the team for Champions League. However, it is being suggested by UEFA hat the teams should not live beyond their means, as many clubs are already under heavy debts.
There is no doubt that many teams, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, spend a lot of cash in transfer market. Many other clubs just cannot keep up with the expenditures, as they do not possess the means to sustain big squads. Also, Madrid and Barcelona are under heavy debts, because of their spending. Recently, the audit reports showed financial troubles in big clubs, including these two Spanish giants.
Arsene Wenger, the manager of Arsenal, likes the idea floating around. He believes that it is unfair when a few managers just go wild, while others are always working hard to remain within their limitations. Wenger believes that such a policy would definitely help Arsenal to do well in Europe, because the club tries to remain within its financial limits. Wenger said that winning Champions League is hard for his team because they are fighting against the teams with big budgets and big losses as well.
Arsene Wenger follows a very tight policy at Arsenal, which makes it hard for him to retain his players. However, considering the self-imposed limitations, it is quite spectacular to see Arsenal doing well and making it to Champions League every time. Wenger said that Arsenal is one of the only three teams who always went past the group stages in last ten years. It is quite remarkable for a team that already controls a lot of finances.
However, at the same time, Wenger was critical of his team’s performance in Champions League. He said that Barcelona beat Arsenal, last year, in one half only. He believed that his team was playing better in the remaining three halves of both legs. But, defensive slip ups in one half were enough for them to be eliminated from the competition. Wenger said that his team should have won the competition, despite their budgetary constraints. Also, Wenger was wary of both Barcelona and Real Madrid, as they had the strongest squad for this year’s Champions League competition.
There is no doubt that Wenger is hailed as a great manager because of his strict controls on club’s finances. This year, Wenger needed a lot of improvements in his squad, but he once again was not ready to spend much. However, the signings he made proved good for his team, as the results are already showing up. Marouane Chamakh was signed on a free transfer by Wenger, and he has already scored two important goals for his team. Also, both the goals were scored from headers, which is a rarity for Arsenal’s strikers. Apart from him, defenders Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci have proved themselves to be good as well. Koscielny is still very young and he has a lot of room for improvement. However, in general, Wenger’s signings have never disappointed Arsenal’s fans, despite having a low profile than most of other signings by big teams.
Some strict rules are definitely needed, as suggested by Wenger. Running a club is like running a business organization, while finances are a big part of any organization. So, if the clubs are neglecting such a thing, it is important that they are reminded of their basic duties. Otherwise, a financial crunch could be faced, similar to a recent financial crunch in banking and mortgage industries.
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