Euro super-spending is over, says Wenger

[Jere Markus]

By Richard Gibson, The Journal


Arsene Wenger yesterday said European football had hit a financial brick wall. On the day the Arsenal manager made his first signing of the summer - a £2.4m swoop for fellow Frenchman Pascal Cygan - he suggested a quiet transfer market is the sign that clubs are becoming more realistic in their spending.

Spiralling transfer fees are seemingly a thing of the past on current evidence and players' wages could soon start decreasing if the evidence of Italy and Spain is anything to go by.

"We all thought the car was going into the wall and the accident was about to happen - but the car has already hit the wall," said Wenger, who points to less deals in general this year. "The transfer market is a bit cyclical and at the moment we are in a depression. It could go up again, but now it is down.

"I put that down to a disastrous financial situation in football in Europe. I have been offered players that haven't been paid for five, six, seven months. Not in England, but from foreign countries. Once you stop paying the players any more there is a deep problem."

In what countries you think players don´t get paid (Russia coal miners?)? Maybe Greece, France or even Spain?!!! Germany come to mind too - they have some serious trouble with the wages there.

The Frenchman believes the way Arsenal balance the books is the way to prosper. "We spent a lot of money last year, yes, but we sold a lot of players in the years before," he said. "Our financial situation is good and we never spend crazy money."

Arsenal chairman David Dein said: "I think there is a realignment now within football and it's no secret salaries have gone through the roof. "Clubs now realise that they have to balance the books. "The players and their agents have got to realise that we don't have money trees in the back garden."

Do you think the transfer prices or salaries can drop? I guess if they don´t - there will not be that much signings or trades.

[JawD]

If a player is available because the club dont want him then the prices will drop as they approach the end of their contract (ie Bowyer) or if the players want to move. But if the club does not want to sell then its still down to how badly the buying clubs wants the player. We may though see more swap deals using players instead of money. I cant see wages dropping, but transfer fees is possible.

[Jere Markus]

I can not see the wages dropping either, but maybe they have met some roof now? It´s getting ridiculous really. If clubs go bankcrupt - who´ll pay the wages then, players?!!! You think about that..

[JawD]

Well, over here plenty of clubs are already struggling in the lower leagues (Bradford etc) and some like them have gone into administration. The TV deal was the main problem but some of that has to be bad management on the clubs side. Spending money before its came in. It had to happen but maybe its took this to make the clubs wake up. It couldnt go on forever - I just hope as said before, that the players and agents realise this.

[Horsey]

This is football's bust, as I keep on saying. Any club to be splashing the cash left, right and centre is extremely foolish.

[matty]

The huge TV money boost meant smaller clubs had more money than ever before and they went mad with it.

Clubs which rely principally on other sources- shirt sales, season tickets etc. will not be as badly hit when the new TV deal with Sky (due in a couple of years?) is worth less than the current one.

[Horsey]

As always the big clubs will be fine but the small fish....will get battered!

[Jere Markus]

This is football's bust, as I keep on saying. Any club to be splashing the cash left, right and centre is extremely foolish

Till now nobody else has been buying much.. except HOULLIER (and Robson got Bramble).