Pires Urges Arsenal To Spend Big In Transfer Market

By Max Wise

Robert Pires has advised Arsenal to forget about winning the English Premier League next season if they are not ready to flex their financial muscles in the transfer market.

Manager Unai Emery has reportedly been handed a transfer kitty of just £40m to invest in new players after Arsenal failed to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

The Gunners finished last season in fifth place and would have made the Champions League for the first time in three years through the back door had they defeated Chelsea in the Europa League final, but they lost 4-1 to their London rivals in Baku.

Arsenal have lost Aaron Ramsey to Juventus on a free transfer while Danny Welbeck has been released following an injury-riddled spell in North London, and the Gunners will have to find replacements.

However, with player transfer fees continuing to bloat every season, £40m will not be enough to secure intended targets and the only way to up that figure will be through player sales.

Arsenal have not won the league since 2004, and Pires believes their title drought could extend into a 16th season if they do not splash the cash on new recruits in the transfer market.

“I read that Arsenal have a small envelope for transfers, only £40m,”said Pires, who won two Premier League titles at the club.

“My opinion is that it isn’t enough.

“If you want to build a good team, you need to spend a lot of money, especially in the Premier League.

“I respect Arsenal’s position and the owner, but everybody knows that if you want to win the Premier League, you need to spend a lot of money.

“All the top clubs want to sign great players, but if you want a great player it costs a lot of money.”