Splash serious wonga Wenger

Posted Tuesday, July 16, 2013 by The Sun

MIKEL ARTETA says it is about time Arsene Wenger joined the last of the big spenders.

The Arsenal boss has promised he is going to break the habit of a lifetime and launch a major assault on the transfer market this summer.

And Arteta cannot wait to welcome the world-class signings he believes the club need to compete for the title.

The Spanish playmaker has already sensed a different mood in the camp this summer after two years of worrying which stars will be the next to leave.

He said: “The club have made it public we are going to go big and I’m very excited.

“The sort of players we are being linked with makes me happy.

“We need to do something because the other top teams are signing big names.”

The Gunners are set to bid £35million for Liverpool forward Luis Suarez and have also been linked with Gonzalo Higuain and Wayne Rooney.

Arteta said: “When you compare us to the other top English clubs and the money they’ve paid, we are far apart.

“The value of this club is the class we have and that is difficult for others to match.

“But now we are also very strong financially so maybe we will be more aggressive in the transfer market.

“There has never been a tradition at Arsenal to pay crazy, crazy money.

“But I was very disappointed when Robin van Persie left us last year. He was the man who made the difference.

“I didn’t want him to go but we had to accept that he wanted to move on to a new challenge at Manchester United.

“There’s a difference in spirit when you are trying to sell players and when you are trying to buy them.”

Arteta, 31, has only been at Arsenal for two seasons since his £10million deadline-day move from Everton. But he has already experienced the frustration coursing through the entire club at failing to win a single trophy since 2005.

Splash serious wonga Wenger

He admitted: “We all feel extra pressure. We are at a massive club where there is a responsibility to win trophies.

“I don’t think we’re that far away but the fact that we haven’t won anything for eight years makes it harder mentally to believe in ourselves.

“We can be contenders again and need to create a genuine feeling of belief for our fans.

“My biggest disappointment was losing at home last year to Blackburn in the FA Cup. It was a big opportunity and we should have done better.

“But it’s moments like that that show you need to improve and make you realise that maybe you’re not as good as you think you are.”

The Gunners, who play Vietnam on their tour tomorrow, might have suffered a long trophy drought, but Arteta says Wenger is still the man to take them forward.

He said: “The players are really happy with the manager and want to succeed with him.

“When you sign for Arsenal you are signing because of who the manager is. He has a big reputation and they want to try his philosophy.

“Any player will improve under Arsene Wenger.

“We hope the fact all the other top teams have changed their boss will help us this season. When you bring in a new coach, you need time to adapt.

“But I still think United will be a big threat.

“I worked with David Moyes at Everton for many years and he’s a very clever man.

“He knows he’s working with players who have been really successful so I don’t think he’s suddenly going to make too many changes. He doesn’t need to.”