Arsenal: Samir Nasri Dig Nothing More Than Sour Grapes

Samir Nasri criticised Arsenal’s ambition stating that they prefer to stay out of debt rather than invest. Such criticism is nothing more than sour grapes.

It is the time of the season to doubt, criticise and question Arsenal and their title metal. Thanks to the steamrolling form of Chelsea, combined with two successive away losses to Everton and Manchester City, as well as a draw at Bournemouth just a week ago, Arsene Wenger’s side find themselves eight points off the pace and on the outside looking in regarding the title race.

Myself, fans and the media have rightly raised issues with the side’s seemingly annual issues with their mentality. The team continually seem to lack the toughness, the determination and the desire to produce the consistent success that is necessary to sit atop the tree come May.

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Many have pointed to a lack of ambition, especially in the transfer window, as reasons for failing to assemble a squad that boasts a winning culture. One such example is former midfielder Samir Nasri, who questioned the board’s willingness to splash the cash and chase trophies, rather than protecting their bank statements:

"“I do not know. I do not know why they aren’t challenging. We must also take into account the fact that when I was in Arsenal, we did not fight on equal terms with Chelsea or Manchester United. Arsenal made the choice to move to the Emirates Stadium, so there was the stadium to pay for. The bosses of the club have always wanted to have healthy finances, they never wanted to go into debt. So they obviously did not recruit like the others”"

Nasri, though, like all who criticise Wenger and the club’s apparent unwillingness to spend colludes two rather different ideas. Wenger’s inability to be aggressive in the transfer window is often mistaken for an unwillingness. Nasri makes exactly the same mistake.

The Frenchman left the club in rather controversial circumstances, upsetting many of the fans, his teammates and Wenger himself. Perhaps, then, his dig at Arsenal’s ‘lack of ambition’, which is essentially what he is taking aim at, is nothing more than sour grapes as he had to suffer the rather restricting consequences that the move to the Emirates produced.

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Moreover, Wenger’s unwillingness has been dismissed in recent seasons having spent nearly £100 million this summer, while adding £42.4 million Mesut Ozil and £35 million Alexis Sanchez in two successive summers. Nasri’s critique, then, of his former side simply does not stand. There are issues that pertain to Arsenal and their inability to win the title, but a lack of ambition in the transfer window is not one of them.

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