Do we really need to buy?

The Gunners have always been prudent in our spending and although there are many rumours that Wenger hands are tied when it comes to purchasing quality players, Le Boss has always insisted that he will not spend unwisely.
From the start of the departure of star striker Henry right up to the start of the season, half the world has written Arsenal’s chances off this season. However, 2 pre-season tournament wins and the unbeaten run continuing with last Sunday impressive victory over Portsmouth (with 10 men!) have convinced many doubters about the quality of Wenger’s vision. At the end of last Sunday’s match, the stadium rose to acknowledge the victory with a great sense of pride. For the first time in a long time, we can see and feel the swagger of the outrageous young squad.

Against a very handy team, the young side built with less than £30m had dominated the first half and when the game took a wrong turn for them, they adapted, adjusted and rose to the challenge. It was the perfect antidote to the speculation in the press during the week of all the behind the scenes machinations following David Dein selling out his Arsenal shares to a Russian investor.

Dein has always maintained that Wenger needs to spend in order to keep up with the rest of the EPL. As much as I believe that Dein is an Arsenal guy through and through, I have been thinking that Dein likes to have his cake and also eat it. He wants to keep his share of power, share of money and still be loved by the Arsenal faithful for his role in developing Arsenal.

Anyway, do we need to buy the ‘star’ players in order to stay ahead? I think the past few years together have built up the team spirit among the ‘kids’. We have seen so many changes and so much loss in experience that it is frightening to even imagine. Yet, on the other hand, the influx of young and guts under the harshest critics seem to have galvanized the players into a team.

The loss of the free-scoring ex-captain worked in a magical way for us as it gave chances to Toure, Gilberto and even Gallas to lead the young ones. Fabregas has truly excelled in his play, easily topping polls as the Gunners’ player of the month with 3 goals and even more assists.

With more youngsters coming through the ranks, Le Boss last words seemed as thoughtful as it can be as he declared, “Why buy when we can make stars out of potential?”