City salute: Emmanuel Adebayor might cause damage
to Arsenal now that he has joined one of their rivals for a
top-four place.
Few tears are being shed for Emmanuel Adebayor among
Arsenal supporters, but surely selling to Manchester City goes down
as Arsene Wenger's biggest gamble.
Yes, City are buying trouble judging by his previous record, but
Arsenal are also inviting it by trading one of their best players
to a club who will make a serious attempt to evict them from the
top four this season.
'Adebayor is a great player and he'll show that again at
Manchester City,' said Wenger. And if he is right, who has most to
lose?
Arsenal are the most vulnerable of the elite clubs, that much is
obvious. They have finished fourth in three of the last four
seasons and, in May, ended 11 points adrift of third-placed
Chelsea, having finished third, seven points in front of Liverpool,
the previous year. They will have to pre-qualify for the Champions
League again this season, as they have at the start of every
campaign since 2005-06.
Wenger does not work with the same budget as his contemporaries
and, sooner or later, he will fail to pull off his traditional
magic act of staying competitive with a young squad. Meanwhile,
City are throwing money at the problem in the hope that this is the
year Arsenal slip.
So, if Adebayor had been sold to AC Milan or even Chelsea, it
would have made sense; but to the club who are most capable of
kicking a hole in Arsenal's financial future? This is a big risk on
Wenger's part.
The Champions League funds have kept Arsenal ahead of the
chasing pack. Without them, there would be serious repercussions,
sporting and financial. The chances of keeping a player like Cesc
Fabregas with only Europa League football are minimal the chances
of enticing a player such as Andrey Arshavin likewise. Shorn of the
Champions League, Arsenal's biggest selling point would be history
and the chance to work with Wenger - and would even that be
guaranteed?
Wenger has clearly tired of Adebayor, which is understandable.
The player's contradictory statements about his intentions,
questionable attitude towards his team-mates and performances that
often show a lack of focus and care would try the patience of any
manager.
Yet Wenger claimed the main reason for selling was that Adebayor
was unpopular with the home crowd. 'Believe me, we have lost a
great player,' he said. If so, why sell? Why not tough it out? It
sounds like an excuse. If Adebayor propels City into Arsenal's
place next season, is Wenger going to blame faceless detractors in
the stand? That is hardly fair. Arsenal are not run by committee.
If Adebayor is an asset, Wenger should have stood by him. He cannot
have it all ways.
