Pat Fitzgerald

Arsène Wenger: 🗣️ “There was a time we had £90 million turnover and we had to pay back £22 million per year for the stadium. I couldn’t sleep because we had to qualify for the Champions League to pay back the money.” 🗣️ “We had to sell our best players. Other clubs came in with lots of money but we were on the same level from 2007 to 2016.” This is why so many Arsenal fans will forever defend Wenger. While rivals were spending freely, Arsenal were carrying the weight of the Emirates project. Every summer meant losing key players and finding ways to remain competitive enough to secure Champions League football. 🔴 Sold stars 🔴 Balanced the books 🔴 Built a world-class stadium 🔴 Kept Arsenal among Europe’s elite Wenger didn't just manage Arsenal through that era. He carried the club through one of the most difficult financial periods in its history. The trophies are part of his legacy. But so is the fact that Arsenal emerged from that period stronger, financially stable and ready to compete again. Arsène Wenger was talking about “financial doping” years ago. He was mocked, dismissed and accused of being bitter because Arsenal weren’t winning anymore. Now Manchester City have been found guilty of the vast majority of the Premier League’s financial charges. I hope the apologies are as loud as the disrespect was back then. Without Wenger's sacrifices, there is no Arsenal of today.