Kalou, Boots And Money Men Getting Antsy?

Sunday morning brings the usual suspects as transfer targets and a new boy to boot. Wellington – a headline writers dream if ever there was one – is the latest Wunderkid to be linked with a move to The Emirates, seemingly ready to pick Arsenal ahead of Manchester United, Real Madrid and Chelsea. Until Manchester City come in and offer him £250k per week, that is. Elsewhere, Saloman Kalou is like the hardy perennial in your back garden, once more linked with a £7m move from Stamford Bridge. It surely cannot be a coincidence that the same report linking him with a move, also mentions that he is angling for a new contract at Chelsea. No doubt that contract will be signed this week.

The transfer market is used by the media as a benchmark for the financial well-being of a club. Manchester City are rich although heading for a fall if Michel Platini gets his way with punishments meted out for clubs who exceed his plan for a Wages / Turnover ratio to be used as one element of the UEFA Licensing System. Arsenal continually underspend feeding the belief that money is tighter than the club reveals. The transfer budget was set at a ludicrously low £13m this summer in media terms, a figure that has not disappeared. With add-ons, it is so far up to £38m less £8m for Vermaelen. A round £30m.

Were Eboue to leave, that would bring the transfer income this summer to £35m or so. With media targets disappearing off to other clubs at a rapid rate of knots, it is questionable as to how long before there is barracking if Wenger does not spend some of this. No doubt there will be allegations made that the economic situation at Arsenal is considerably worse than the Board is letting on, a backhanded vindication of his Rights Issue plan will be claimed by Usmanov.

It seems that whilst the club has exploited its global image, there is scope for more to be done. You sense that the time is coming when tours will be undertaken in the Far East and America where Chelsea and United receive fees alone in excess of £5m for a fortnight’s jaunt. Wenger has steadfastly rejected calls for Arsenal to follow suit, preferring to travel to Central Europe. Wenger believes that the far-flung tours are detrimental to a teams preparation.

The evidence is totally contradictory since the top four has remained unchanged for the last four seasons with three of them, including the eventual champions, all taking part in such tours. It is a sign of Wenger’s standing that the Board has not imposed such tours unlike their other rivals. Whilst the Manchester United board no doubt hold Ferguson in similar esteem, the Scot has been unable to fight off what might be considered rapacious greed on the part of his paymasters.

Arsene has in recent weeks spoken of recession hitting football. The exceptions of Manchester City and Real Madrid aside, this summer has seen a drop in the number of high value transfers but with over a month to go, that situation may change. Where clubs may find it hard is in commercial revenues. There is no evidence yet of attendances suffering or merchandising dropping but the decision to launch two new away strips this season must be seen as dubious to say the least.

There will be a new home strip next summer, hopefully including a return to red with white sleeves – is it too much to ask that the designers at Nike forgo modernism with a return to the simplicity of the 1970s before pinstripes, pigeon footprints and other ghastly elements entered the design phase? The need for a third kit is highly debatable from a footballing perspective. Unless opponents have a significant element of red / blue in their tops, the all-white third kit is purely a commercial decision since last season’s yellow strip would have sufficed in those situations.

The moneymen needed to fill the void hence the creation of The Emirates Cup to compensate. With all due respect to this season’s participants, the calibre is not what the original idea would have had in mind. A march was stolen by IMG with Barcelona going to Wembley although that only one of the Champions League starting XI took part suggests that the Catalans are not taking it anywhere near as seriously as the sponsors would like.

The three participants all bring differing styles and I guess their own uses from a football perspective but these games are not played at anywhere near the level of intensity of competitive matches which rather undoes the experience of playing against different tactics. Sharpness and fitness are still the only objective. I wonder what the attendances will be like this year though. Rangers will bring supporters to vindicate their place, commercially speaking, but surely one objective should be to attract the best teams in the World to stretch the players that close to the start of the season?

’til Tomorrow