Speaking to reporters while out in the Far East for the Gunners pre-season tour, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger reiterated his past comments saying that Arsenal was no more a selling club, but a buying club, and that they could compete with the big boys for the best players.
In the past the high-profile departures of Samir Nasri, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Emmanuel Adebayor and Gael Clichy all occurred during a trophy less nine years, which had the fans up in arms with Wenger constantly selling to help fund the new Emirates stadium.
This however has now come to an end with the Frenchman pointing to the signings of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
Wenger said: “The time where we had to sell our best players is over for sure.
“We had five or six years where we were financially restricted, we had to balance the books and we had to pay the stadium back. This time has gone.
“It was a very sensitive period, and mentally a difficult period, but now we are over that.
“Now we are competing with everybody on the financial front and I think we can keep our best players.”
Despite Wenger’s positive outlook he still thinks that teams that are built over a number of seasons will in the end be the ones to succeed.
“Many clubs now in Europe have huge resources and more money available than players,” he said.
“That’s why it is not easy. I leave international players on the bench every week. It has to be exceptional potential to come in now.
“The transfer period is a very difficult period because we live in a society where people just want new. What’s new? What do you buy?
“The credit you get is just linked with the amount of money you spend or players you buy.
“We forget that football is as well a construction, patience, hard work on the pitch, cohesion.
“Cohesion is a very important factor but it is just neglected at the moment.
“And most of the time, the teams who stay for a long period together are successful.”
