Premiership Sheikh-up - Arsenal looking isolated
By Joël Che on Friday, September 5, 2008
There was a time when Robinho was the hottest prospect in football. Clubs were tracking him but only the biggest of the biggest clubs were present at the bidding table. Real Madrid got the player as expected because such a talent only goes to great clubs. At the same time, Kevin Keegan was about to be replaced as manager of Manchester City, a regular mid-table club with no mass international appeal.
In August 2008, Robinho is now an established player who has proven his potential is real and is getting to the age where the best is expected to start coming. Manchester City is still a regular mid-table team in spite of brief show-biz flirts with Sven Göran-Eriksson and a politician in exile. Now a Sheikh's financial instrument - Abu Dhabi United Group - takes over Manchester City and Robinho is going to wear a blue shirt to play in front of an old fan who's supported City for all his life and who would not quite be able to believe what he's seeing as Robinho runs around wearing his team colours into the path of Joey Barton.
This is not our first Sheikh. There is Sheikh Abrahamovic, Sheikh Glazer, Sheikhs Hicks and Gillett, etc. And there are yet more Sheikhs waiting in the wings. There is Sheikh Usmanov and now apparently Sheikh Mohammed.
In reference to rumoured interest of Dubai International Capital in Liverpool, one website wrote: "Sheikh Mohammed - Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, seventh richest man in the world and perhaps the answer to Liverpool's prayers."
Are fans really going home at night praying for sugar daddies? I can understand walking home from a defeat at Fulham and thinking, "I wish a billionaire could just buy us Essien for £100m – no balancing of the books, just 'here-is-a-£100 million change, just go get him'." But I really know inside me that that's the last thing I want for football.
This take-over of Manchester City tells me that the pattern is now firmly established. It tells me that the financiers have watched the sport (the business side of it) and decided that there a good business. If you are a billionaire who wants status and certainly exclusivity (which is what billionaires resort to when they can afford everything else), then you can get it in football club while having a good business if need the money or a reasonable cost if you don't need the money. If you are a business man who wants a money-spinning entertainment business with stars who can be as big as holiday's B and C lists then football is attractive. There is now clearer proof of the link between money and success. If you spend the same as Manchester United with a good coach, you can beat them. Chelsea have proven that!
Imagine this: you are billionaire from a small Russian town or an extremely wealthy Sheikh from Dubai, but you can command from one town in a great Western country, the love and adulation from a lot of the young menfolk (fans) and automatically become one of the most important people of a city. It's nearly as good as an electorate – you can be more powerful than the MP. You can be one of the most important people in old and important towns like London, Manchester or Liverpool in a heartbeat.
Football is has a long history with politics, power and control. You can read Franklin Foer's book called "Football Explains the World" to find out just how football has been used by people seeking power and in conflicts and politics for decades.
The very people "answering our prayers" to win games and earn bragging rights for a year over our opponents might end-up taking the game away from us. There are many sports whose games you go to, especially in the US where sport has been seen as money-making entertainment business rather than an artistic and creative discipline, and you find a stale atmosphere completely devoid of soul. It becomes a day out for beers and popcorn. In the end, people care so little that they only turn up for spectacle events – only games between giants. The rest is just a tourist attraction and dumbed down popular entertainment.
It has become so difficult to win the Premiership without investing hundreds of millions that the poorer teams are becoming pawns that are there to make the race interesting rather than take part. Very soon, the only thing that will make sense is an international Super League. That's one negative view of the future.
Maybe someone has a better view of equalised competition as more people invest in teams to make them competitive and eventually create an exciting league where 10 teams are capable of winning. If such a future is what we will get then okay, but what's going to happen when a Sheikh invests £500 million and doesn't win anything in 5 years? Will he invest more and raise the stakes until it bursts or will he walk away and leave a club that has forgotten how to balance the books and collapses?
I'm open-minded about club ownership – afterall most clubs are owned by someone or a small group of people and one could say it is a bit prejudiced to consider an English gent to be okay and an Arab billionaire not okay. Indeed we have to be careful not to be simply xenophobic or being old-fashioned and unnecessarily suspicious of outsiders. That is why it is important to keep an open mind. I, however, am maybe not clever enough or positive enough to see the upside to this.
Arsenal now stands as the one big club not owned by some billionaire or some private financier with an eye on global profiteering. I'm not sure how to categorise our owners – they are certainly not ordinary folks like you nor I either. Wenger's philosophy suits (or is designed to support) this prudent and conservative bunch.
For years we have seen Wenger as the man showing the way for the future – youth, style, stability and balanced books. Yet the past 10 years has seen the growth of win at all cost, buy to win, buy the best players for your squad, don't throw points to blood young players, debt is no problem, money is no issue, etc.
Wenger's and Arsenal's trend is against the grain. After the purchase of Manchester City and Robinho, I am now wondering whether Arsenal is showing the way to the future or if they are living in the past – against the reality of money equals success. In 5 years the bubble might bust like the dot-com bubble and Wenger and Arsenal will stand proud and stable as other clubs fall around them. In 5 years maybe there will be better competitiveness in a league and different kind of global football entertainment with maybe a super league of which Arsenal is not part due to having fallen behind by not spending.
Wenger made a revealing comment talking about Barry: "These older players you pay a lot but can get nothing in return." He was referring to the resale value. A young player has resale value because there is still potential and time on their side. They cost less because the potential is not proven. But older players have no resale value. They are expensive because you already know what they can do – it's not just about potential.
But it seems either Wenger or Arsenal or both cannot spend a Dollar (or Pound) without the thought of what they could get back in hard cash rather than what total value he can add on the pitch. Maybe they don't want to finance their opponents by giving them money to buy key players instead of them taking the money from opponents for a player they grew. Wenger once said that for a player to be worth £40 million then he has to score every time he touches the ball. The Sheikhs don't see it that way. With that view, there are no players worth £40 million to Wenger and you can begin to understand why he will not even spend £20 million on a player since he probably expects someone who will guarantee a win every time he starts. It makes it even more amazing that he went up to £14 million for Alonso – he must have really wanted him!
I have always said that the team needs a defensive midfielder but that we can still aim for the league and Europe with what we have got and hope injury luck is on our side. I still believe that.
User Comments
35Gooner
Posted on 14 Sep, 2008 at 10:38 PM - Reply
In Arsene we trust... The first principle of football is having skill. Now with the revolutionalized world, football has become a medium of making money, no problem though... but along the line we should not forget the purpose of the game... Lets wait and see what this season have for us... The Gunnerz
34azed
Posted on 7 Sep, 2008 at 07:55 PM - Reply
those oil sheikhs are using football to play chess n i'll prefer watchin arsenal finish third n win the fa cup 4 the next 5 season that see one idiot who wants to impress his girlfriend or massage his ego buy arsenal...... to hell with dem and dem blood money.
33Texas Gooner
Posted on 7 Sep, 2008 at 05:13 PM - Reply
Manchester City will not finish in the top four this year. As Arsenal pays off the stadium we will become the most profitable club in the world. One that has two strikers better than Robinho and a central midfielder who we can pay just like Thierry Henry. Trust in Arsene and ye shall be rewarded.
32Aabbs7
Posted on 7 Sep, 2008 at 01:50 AM - Reply
i blame sky sports, it all started wiv dem. football will eat itself.
31william
Posted on 7 Sep, 2008 at 01:49 AM - Reply
lol, this is becoming just like PES. After a few seasons of trophies you can bid crazy amounts and salaries for players.
30prathap
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 08:41 PM - Reply
Great article. But once we slip from a champions league position, expect Wenger to be sacked and a Sheikh buying the club.
29aliyu
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 06:29 PM - Reply
Great article and I assure you if this trend goes unchecked,there is an ominous cloud in the future of this game we so much love.Already, the man city sheiks have put a 70m euro bid for Buffon,and have lined up other players including our own Fabregas as part of their plans.Now, this is frightening,as arsenal remains the 'last team standing in the top four',and any lack of silverware this season will further justify our own 'sheik'-in-waiting taking over;and that is goodbye decent football.For a game that brings joy to multitudes to be bastardized and reduced to a highest-bidder auction, is the sorry state greed, lack of decency,and money worship has dragged everyone to.
28Nestor
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 06:08 PM - Reply
I'm sick of hearing we're gonna finish fourth,do you guys have seen liverpool play they barely win,last year they finish 4 long way behind us. So please stop moaning and support the club and probably we can win the league if we are short on injuries.
27nicknicknick
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 04:36 PM - Reply
It makes me imensly proud to support the last big team that is still a club. In case anyone forgets, a club consists of its team, its home ground and its supporters.
For those who advocate selling out to big money because we must win at all costs, should pack their bags and move to the blue side of manc. They dont want a club to support, they just want to watch a team win a trophy.
I would support Arsenal right down to the conference if that happened. Would you?
P.S. I would support them more if I could only get a season ticket!!
26Wigan Blue
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 01:22 PM - Reply
Hold on a minute... I remember Arsenal. Grinding out 1 - 0 wins at home 0 - 0 draws away for years and years and years. Doing it in Europe built up their capital to the point where they could splash on players, and force their way into the top four when the Premier league took over. I admire the youth policy that Wenger introduced (City have always had it), but the reason he isn't splashing the cash now is that he hasn't got any. Why not? Because you built the Emirates. Lovely ground - don't get me wrong, but you have to pay VAT on grounds, you don't on players. It was the improvements at Maine Road that condemned City to being permanent also-rans.
Personally, I think Wenger has done a brilliant job, because you are still hanging in there. But you need some investment to stay there. And believe me - if you had to watch the football that we had to endure under Stuart Pearce, you would grab the investment with both hands even if it came from Attila the Hun...
25Steve
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 12:47 PM - Reply
I am a Man City fan have been for forty odd years and i have always enjoyed watching Arsenal play under Wenger, well with the exception of when they have stuffed us. Money could ruin the game you are right, I have read that KK and AC have left there respective clubs because of directors or whoever shaping transfer policy when i beleive infact the reason to be that these clubs (thier owners) are finding it very difficult to make ends meet. Thaksin whom i am ever so glad come to City has since taking over said he could not beleive how expensive it is to run a club, this in the premier league? .Do you not think that the 20 million you make from the champions league every season gives you an advantage over say us before last Monday. Football today is a very different game, would you have said before Monday that next Saturdays game between City and Chelsea would sell to more countries than any other game in preiership history ? . The Daily Mirror for weeks and even today sits there slagging City off firstly for having no money then for having too much, hipocracy at its best, they called our Chairman Garry Cooke plonker of the week for daring to suggest City could match United, for suggesting there will be a league of say ten teams with no promoyion or relegation, do you not think the people of China would like to see Arsenal vs Man Utd say rather than Stoke City Vs Hull City it dosent take a PR guru to work that one out, is that not just about money. I have lived for the last thirty years with United fans laughing at us this i hope is about to change ?
24Mac
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 12:10 PM - Reply
I like the cut of your jib, and to be honest I don't kno any long standing fan who are really happy with the the way football has changed. I'm a Man City season ticket holder and my brother in law supports Chelsea, we were talking only yesterday about how all of the money funding(a potentially) winning team takes the gloss off. But I have one question:
if,or rather when, Aresenal are taken over by a mega rich investor, are you all going to stop supporting them?
Don't get me wrong I have alot of time for Aresenal, they way they are run and the football they play. But I love many things about city too: The accademy, the self depricating humour of our fans, the fact that I know everyone I meet at the game really does love the club and isn't on a band waggon. And I guess much of that is going to change if things go according to plan over the coming years. Will I stop watching them. No because I can't.
But thankyou for a ballanced article which understands that City are following a trend and not starting one.
Peace and love.
Ps will you lot sing a bit more this year ;-)
23Hassan
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 11:40 AM - Reply
The men in Abu Dhabi are not concerned about profits. They didn't buy Manchester City to see returns on their investment. They want to be the best and to win everything that is available. Expect to see Manchester City as an established top four side within the next two seasons and as a result, competing in the latter stages of the Champions League.
Who will make way, Arsenal or Liverpool? Only time will tell.
22lolo
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 11:19 AM - Reply
Lets hope that bus arrives quickly
21David Sutasurya
Posted on 6 Sep, 2008 at 09:08 AM - Reply
The reason I become arsenal fans is that arsenal keep a spirit of football, play winning beautifull game. arsenal is the last stronghold of football overcapitalism.
the way the oil bandits invest is that they are panicking with the end of oil era, and looking for other place to invest. but actually what happening is they are destroying the football bussiness. Buy creating a bubble economy.
And the what we called football players that play without hearth and morality only follow the money and joined forces to destroy football busnises is only crazy and stupid. the keep deniyng that they not do that for money. but we now what actually happened. by by flamini, it is good for you to leave before you destroy arsenals morality any more.
20Rosicky
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 11:49 PM - Reply
Great article..
It really does seem like Arsenal are one of the few remaining clubs that are defying billionaire owners and big money spending..
i have faith in Wenger and the team but i do think that Fabregas doesn't have a reliable partner in midfield. I can't bear seeing Eboue again in CM (or on the wing for that matter)
But in Wenger we trust...He must know something we don't...
19Jay
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 10:41 PM - Reply
FOrget about Essien, we can get Stephen Appiah he is available for free and he is a very very very good player..................Wenger please listen to us for once.
18Disillusioned Gooner
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 08:51 PM - Reply
This is food for thought. I for one am for pure football principles and values however this is a fast changing world and the sooner AW and the board get with the programme the better it would be for the club. We football purists have to come to terms with the fact that the the game has changed business wise and must get on the train before it leaves. The day a Bumkin Billionaire takes over our club will be the saddest day of my life yet but i will have to come to terms with it as time goes on because then i know we can dominate rather than being one season wonders.
17luckyfrank
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 07:53 PM - Reply
All i care about is winning trophys which is all football is really about ! I really dont care who owns who or where football is going i could get a smack of a bus tommorow for all i know...... The only way for arsenal to compete is for a takeover to happen we just cant compete with the likes of man utd, liverpool, chelsea and man city..... Were getting gazumped by filppin man city these days !!!!!!! Arsenal will not win a major trophy for 10 years more if we continue along the route were going
16bh arsenal
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 07:51 PM - Reply
do not call the unbelivers sheikhs,only muslim arap are sheikhs..
15Diceman1984
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 06:30 PM - Reply
I'm with you, mate. I always believe and will keep on believing.
PS: I would really hate our team to be bought by those shieks. They won't last. We always won with less money,its just getting harder with all those spendings that's all.
14Jean Louis Siegrist
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 04:41 PM - Reply
Excellent article, i live in Panama city, Panama and i have been an Arsenal fan since im around 13 (im 19 now), and i have seen glory and not so much glory for our team. Now in the last couple of years ive seen all these millionaire investors buying expensive players for other clubs and seen Wenger sticking with young prospects, who have grown to be great professionals. Im not afraid of what this investors and the players they buy can do for their clubs, i have complete confidence on Wenger, last 3 seasons we have seen how our young players have been amazing on the picth, beating Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and not spending even 1/10 of what does clubs spent. I prefer to keep Arsenal a conseravtive club, that believes in real football, on the essence of sport, than buying players who most of the time only care about money, and like Joel Che wrote, have no resale value. I believe in this team, and I believe that every Arsenal fan should believe in it too. Last season we lacked experience to maintain the 1st place, but we demonstrated that we can be the best team in the league, same happened in the Champions league where we were better than Liverpool, also we had no luck with injuries. This season with our players being more experienced and our big names returning from injury (Rosicky, Eduardo, Van Persie) i know we can win something or even everything. Also, who would have thought that selling Hleb would actually be a great thing. Nasri has netted more goals in 6 games than Hleb did in 20. LETS GO ARSENAL!!!
13addisuw
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 03:48 PM - Reply
This article speaks everything. I am very, very very much disappointed at Wenger. I don't know what he is thinking , how many seasons without a trophy. If he hasn't enough account to buy players why is he not speaking out? Pls wenger don't disappoint as this much pls buy . I don't care whether you think it is not good to but big name, look at robiniho isn't he worth 10x ade. please let us speak the truth. please please......
12Eoin Smyth
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 02:53 PM - Reply
Arsenal must remain strong and defiant to these billionaire owners who ruin football imho. It is a great thing that Arsenal are doing it right. If any club deserves silverware this season, it's arsenal...
11Faldinho
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 02:28 PM - Reply
Good article, but we are not going to win anything this season, and not because of all the money flying around other clubs, it's because Wenger saw where our weaknesses where and went out to get only a crocked, past-his-sell-by-date defender in Silvestre.
As for the other weakness, the main glaring weakness, he did not make enough effort into getting Alonso if he so liked to have him as you have pointed out at the foot of your article.
We are simply going to struggle to finish 4th, and although we will just about get it, we have not got the strength or quality in key areas down the middle of the pitch to compete with United and Chelsea. We can compete with Liverpool maybe, Spurs and Villa (and City, I think) definitely, but not the top 2.
10Nick B
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 02:24 PM - Reply
Well Said!
Only time will tell how it will shape up.
Any Arsenal supporter,or a football lover should be proud of the fact that Arsenal come so close to all big spenders without having the need to spend a quater of them and still yet manage to play the most amazing football. Yes it is frustrating not to win any trophys but I personally value our style and the respect we have. No team in the world would want to play Arsenal - because when on form Arsenal can sweep any Ronaldinho, Robinho, Kaka or any one else for that matter with young kids who just know how to play great football.The money bubble will burst , because there is always someone bigger than you. Nobody thought anyone can out bid Chelsea - but we have someone bigger than Chelski now. And then we'll have someone bigger than Man Arab city!!
9freddy.
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 01:41 PM - Reply
i hope wenger isn't getting arrogant. even he should see now that in order to compete he must buy some experienced players.
8elninio
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 01:41 PM - Reply
WHAT'S YOUR POINT AGAIN??? Poor article... lost the will to live half way through!!!!!!!
7Dip
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 01:38 PM - Reply
Great Article. Nice to know that some people are realistic and not caught up in this 'If Wenger doesn't splash 30 million he must go' world. It woulb be the sweetest victory ever if we could clinch the title this year and laugh in the face of these sugar daddy clubs.
6Jesper - Holland
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 12:18 PM - Reply
Great article, very nice view on all the Sheikh take overs.
But I think with Wengers comment on Barry he meant that an experienced player does not always preform as well as he did with a new club. Look at Sheva at Chelsea and Henry and Vieira at their new clubs.
He meant you do not get value for money. I think Wenger has looked at a player aged 24 max. and did not find one he think was good enough, or maybe the player did not want to come or not for sale.
For example Gokhan Inler, maybe his club asked 24 million. But is he worth it??
Wenger makes that kind of descissions and alltough he knows we need a midfielder, he does not make a panic buy. is that SO stupid???
In my opinion the mistake Wenger made was not to giver Flamini a good contract last season, or give him a better offer to stay.
And indeed last year we just had bad luck with injuries. SAF said it too. Else we would have won it so it was that close and remember only 1 team can win.
Let's hope that Rosicky returns quickly and we stay in the good form from the newcastle game and Wenger can buy in January if he finds a player he likes.
Its difficult this year its wrong to say everything is crap after one game at fulham. Hey, maybe they will be the season surprise...
5uduma
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 12:12 PM - Reply
good article,am beginning to lose interest in football as it is now turning into a means for some folks with questionable wealth to show off.Hughes will soon lose his job as he may not agree with some fancy projects f the sheeick.Now do I think robinho is worth that tranfer fee?No.Van Persie is a betterr player than robinho.we have a top quality team that needs awinning mentality.we only need to learn killing th game.though we needed a DM,den, song and Abu can do in if AW keeps interchanging them.AW should makee january bidd for alonsoo
4micheal
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 11:58 AM - Reply
a good piece.
maybe the have nots (inc arsenal) will vote through a cap on salaries as a percentage of income.
that is probably the only way to prevent chelski, man city and any other super rich clubs buying their way into the super-league.
at least man u pay their way as do we.
3Mat S
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 11:44 AM - Reply
Fair enough, but why is Wenger worried about resale value? The money men are in charge of that, let them, worry about it. His responsibility is to create a winning team on the field, not agonise over how much is in the club's coffers. Wenger fast turning into a mouthpiece for those very same money men who come out syaing there is money available, is there hell. Arsenal may be stabilised in years time when the wheels come off for the clubs who have been invested by glitzy fly by night businessmen, but by that time we may have had to endure years of embarrassment and humiliation by just those same teams and it will be interesting to see how many supposedly real fans are willing to stand up and be counted at that point.
2Arsenalis
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 11:44 AM - Reply
I partly agree.
it looks very bad, true...
but I believe in circularity.
you see, if it will continue to be like this with all that money, football will eventually become uninteresting, and fans wont come to games.
all the rich guys will then understand that they wont gain any profits anymore, and they'll sell...pretty optimistic...
1Solid Snake
Posted on 5 Sep, 2008 at 10:27 AM - Reply
great read - i just hope we dont get left behind!
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