Bard
Most discerning Arsenal fans understand that we haven’t tried to challenge for a major trophy for more than a decade. The club’s major strategy has been to try to convince the fans that we are fully committed to challenging but unforeseen circumstances thwart our best efforts.
We were also spun the idea that top 4 was a fantastic achievement in itself. And to some extent it was, at least from a financial point of view. The other strategy was how to protect Wenger from the worst of the fallout. But the game has now changed. We have dropped out of that bracket and are now mired in the Europa league scrap which explains the current transfer strategy.
We have allegedly been in deep negotiations for Aubameyang. If you read the press you could be forgiven for thinking it’s all about the fee. It’s not, it’s a lot more complicated to my mind. For us as fans the issue is simple - sign him for the fee, we have the money, but for Arsenal its a whole lot more complex. If Arsenal sign Aubameyang, a top player for £50/60m to replace Sanchez the pressure on Wenger goes through the roof. If he fails to get a top 4 finish with the signings he has made then the second year of his contract looks like it could be a disaster.
There are serious arguments for trying to sign Aubameyang but failing to sign him is a much better strategy. It’s gives the impression that we tried hard but because Dortmund were greedy we couldn’t make it happen. Some Arsenal fans buy this bull**** but more importantly it gives Wenger wriggle room. It’s a much better strategy to avoid signings and hope that Liverpool or Tottenham falter. If we somehow get that top 4 spot then Wenger can be seen as a genius. If he fails with expensive signings then his cache falls. The reality is that the top 4 is no longer an Arsenal goal - the Europa League is our new level.
