Harz
Active Member
Perez and Mustafi fees were inflated due to deadline day but we'd been trying to get Xhaka for a while before we did (Cabaye was also a candidate) to replace Arteta.
To this day, I still don't understand why Wenger moved away from dynamic midfielders to one paced players who passed nicely but couldn't run. I respected Arteta as a professional and he was a much better footballer than Xhaka, but when I look at the profile of players Pochettino introduced to Sp*rs since his arrival (physical, technical, aggressive, tenacious) and what we did in the same time, I find it difficult to solely blame Kroenke for our current state of affairs.
Kroenke definitely isn't the only one to blame for our current situation. Between 2013 and 2016 we had a net spend of ~£230m, and while this amount is dwarfed by the spend of the likes of Man City, it was still quite more than what Liverpool or Tottenham spent.
We brought in players like Özil, Sanchez, Chambers, Welbeck, Debuchy, Gabriel, Cech, Elneny, Xhaka, Mustafi, and Perez; all for double figures.
It was quite clear back then, and even clearer now, that Wenger is not as good as the likes of Pochettino and Klopp.
There was a point in Wenger's career when he wasn't winning anything but could've been considered very successful as the club didn't spend a dime and the football was beautiful. For me, that period ended circa 2013.
Football is an ever-changing game and it was only natural that Wenger couldn't keep up. We've come undone as his departure came at the worst possible time, as there were no proven elite coaches to go for. Guardiola, Klopp, Pochettino, even Conte would've been realistic in 2013.