London – Arsene Wenger is convinced Arsenal are about to have the last laugh over the Premier League big-spenders – and will soon win the title again.
The manager is optimistic because he believes that the tough economic climate and Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules, which require clubs to only spend what they earn and break even by the 2014-15 season, will now work in his club’s favour.
“Financial Fair Play will come through because big clubs who have been spending a lot are worrying now,” said Wenger. “They ignored it until now, but finally we see that they are getting concerned.
“We are run in a very responsible way. We make a profit every year and I think that’s where nearly everybody is struggling in Europe. We find ourselves in the situation of Germany in Europe.
“‘I’m convinced that society will force football to become more reasonable. The standard of living is dropping, and you cannot imagine that will happen in society while football continues to push up with inflation. That can’t work together.”
That is why Wenger predicts that Arsenal will soon be back in a fair fight for trophies – and will also be able to keep their star players.
He explained how much it hurt to see Robin van Persie score against Fulham and then celebrate in a Manchester United shirt last week.
Wenger said” “It felt a bit strange. I was thinking, ‘He has the wrong shirt on. Why does he jump around like that in that shirt?’ Deep down I knew but I didn’t like it too much’.”
Yet Van Persie has left a void at Arsenal, and Wenger said: “If you lose a player who scores 30 League goals … there aren’t 100 players in the world who could do that in England. So you need a solution.
“We are not completely at our best going forward, but it will happen quickly because we play as a team and fight together. This is a massive month and it will be a measure of how our season is likely to go.”
But even if Arsenal come off second best at Liverpool on Sundaty, or against Manchester City and Chelsea later in the month, Wenger will not quit. He has a young squad who will be in their prime when the Fair Play rules kick in.
“It never crosses my mind,” he said. “I go into a game looking to win. And the aim is to win the title. I’m the first to be disappointed if it doesn’t happen. But we have a fantastic squad with fantastic quality and I think it’ll work out.” – Mail On Sunday