Chapter 662 125: One More Gamble! The Three Superstars Meet Again! Wenger's 3-Year Strategy and Arsenal's Fatal Flaw

As Wenger spoke, he reached out and pointed to the strategic plan in front of Wang Shuo.

"I mentioned it in here. Ever since the club moved into the new stadium, Arsenal's annual revenue has consistently ranked among the top five clubs in Europe. Yet, our transfer spending and player salary expenditures aren't particularly high. So where has all the money gone?"

"Furthermore, our cash flow has been excellent for the past two years. As of May 2011, we have 160 million British Pounds in cash on hand."

"This season, the accounts payable from our past few years of transfers are now basically balanced with our accounts receivable."

Transfers are paid in installments.

"Balanced" meant that the installment payments for players Arsenal bought were now equal to the installment payments for players they sold.

"The truth is, we've always had sufficient funds to invest in the transfer market. But frankly, we've never seen a player who was so exciting that they made us feel we had to sign them, no matter the cost."

"We approached Ribery, but he later chose Bayern. The situation with Arshavin was even more telling. If we had tried to arrange that transfer in the summer of '08, right after the European Cup ended, the fee would have been an absurd, astronomical sum."

"That's why at the time, not a single one of the major clubs in all of Europe made a move for him."

At this, Wenger looked intently at Wang Shuo.

"But now, I am convinced, Wang, that you are the player we must sign, no matter the cost."

Wenger paused, took a strategic sip of water, and then continued.

"In my plan, I intend to sell every player whose heart is no longer with the team. I want to rebuild a competitive Arsenal. Within three years, we will challenge for the Premier League and Champions League titles!"

"This summer, we can recoup up to 150 million euros by selling players. I have already received authorization from the majority shareholders and the board of directors to reinvest all of that money into the transfer market."

"And we won't even have to touch the club's cash reserves!"

"All while guaranteeing a top-four finish in the league and reaching the Champions League round of 16 next season!"

Clearly, those last two conditions were the key.

In other words, Arsenal had to generate 150 million euros solely from player sales.

"Is that even possible?" Thomas Essien asked, sounding skeptical.

"Fabregas, Van Persie, Clichy, Arshavin, Sagna, Denilson, and possibly Nasri…"

Wenger sighed softly. "To be honest, I'm well aware they've all been in contact with other teams."

"If you sell that many players at once, how will the team remain competitive?" Wang Shuo asked curiously.

Wenger smiled and pointed to the plan in front of them.

Wang Shuo nodded, took the document, and began to read it carefully.

The very first page took Wang Shuo by surprise.

It contained a chart created by Wenger, which clearly listed his valuation for the transfer fees of the players he had just mentioned.

For example, his asking price for Van Persie was 30 million euros, and for Fabregas, it was between 35 and 40 million euros.

'Why is Fabregas's price so low?'

'Based on the current market, he should be worth at least 55 million euros.'

Wenger had also noted that the player only wanted to go to Barça, refusing all other offers, including one from Real Madrid. Meanwhile, Barça was stubbornly holding firm on their 28-million-euro offer, which they had submitted several times already.

'That's the shameless thing about Barça!'

'First, they get the player on their side, then they try to strong-arm the club into lowering the price.'

'Trying to buy a 55-million-euro player for just 28 million.'

Wang Shuo thought to himself, 'If Ferguson were in Wenger's shoes, he would have been cursing them out long ago!'

'And Fabregas is a real piece of work, too!'

When all the figures were added up, the total could indeed reach as high as 150 million euros.

The second page detailed the targeted recruitment strategy and a list of potential new signings.

In the plan, Wenger stated that he hoped to bring in more young players around the age of 20, but he also had to be realistic.

For example, he wanted to sign Harvey Martinez, the deep-lying midfielder from Athletic Bilbao.

If they could sign Martinez, he would even consider selling Alexandre Song.

He felt that Alexandre Song's salary demands were too high.

"But if I meet his salary demands, his form will decline rapidly."

Wenger elaborated in the plan that this was not an isolated phenomenon.

Take Flamini, for example.

Wenger had once been very fond of the French player, but every time Flamini renewed his contract, his performance would dip into a slump. Yet, as soon as he entered a contract year, he would start playing exceptionally well again.

Wang Shuo was starting to understand Wenger's perspective.

'Flamini really is the ultimate contract player; he's completely figured out the game!'

Such situations weren't uncommon. Manchester United's Berbatov was another example.

The Bulgarian striker had been in explosive form during the recently concluded season, scoring goals left and right.

Because the 2010-2011 season happened to be his contract year.

One had to understand that for the vast majority of professional players, championships and honors were secondary.

What they cared about most was the salary they took home.

Wenger's recruitment targets were all highly specific.

For instance, to replace Fabregas upon his departure, Wenger, unable to find a perfect fit immediately, was looking to sign Arteta from Everton.

However, he would also consider other options if a better one became available.

And if Nasri were to transfer?

Wenger had his eye on two players from the Ligue 1 club Lille: Eden Hazard and Gervinho.

The former was more expensive, but stronger and more talented. The latter was cheaper, but his Dribbling and ability to get past defenders were outstanding.