Arsenal: And here comes the ambition lie once again

Ivan Gazidis has stated that it is Arsenal’s ambition to win the Premier League. The club made a profit on transfer fees in the summer. Here we go again.

Arsenal and their PR. It is a tactic that the club, especially in recent years, has excelled at. Time and time again, the hope that they spiel is gobbled up by the fans, myself included, only to be let down, in the same way, every single time.

Related Story: 30 greatest transfers of past 30 years

And here we go again.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

At the Annual General Meeting on Thursday, in which a vast number of topics were discussed, from the state of the club to the members and diversity of the board, from the role of Stan Kroenke as owner to the presence of many FC Koln fans in the home end during a Europa League match earlier this season, Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis was quizzed on the ambitions of the club, as he is every year. And as he does every year, he, in rather emphatic and bullish style, states that Arsenal is a club that is fighting to win titles and trophies, both domestic and European, claiming, boldly, that the organisation’s intention is ‘to win the Premier League’:

"“We want to compete at the top of the league, win trophies and add to this club’s history. We’ve made significant investments ourselves but more important is investing well. This is about doing things efficiently and with excellence. To win the Premier League we need to do things better than our competitors in every year. That’s not easy. We all should be proud of winning the FA Cup three times in four year. But as we have said many times our intention is to win the Premier League.”"

Now, I do not have to tell you how far away Arsenal are from Gazidis’ goal. For those who don’t know, it’s a long way. But more than the results of recent years, the activity of the club itself belies Gazidis’ claim. Not only are they not challenging for titles, but their behaviour, especially in the transfer market, suggests that they aren’t even trying.

Gazidis mentions that Arsenal have spent over £200 million in transfer fees in recent years. He also brings up the example of keeping both Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil as proof that the club is not orientated around money. But contrast their investment levels to those who have won the league in recent years, Chelsea and Manchester City (excluding Leicester City because of the anomaly that it is), and there is a vast disparity.

Since the start of the 2013/14 season, in the summer that Arsenal’s spending took a significant increase and they acquired Mesut Ozil for a club-record £42 million, the Gunners have spent, per Transfermarkt £319.26 million. Chelsea, in the same period, have spent £622.13 million, and Manchester City have spent £791.95 million. That is a staggering difference.

Next: Arsenal Vs Swansea City: Predicted starting XI

Now, money spent far from guarantees success. But it is very difficult to be competitive at a high level with investing significant sums. Gazidis may feel that Arsenal have been investing those sums. But, frankly, they haven’t. Until they do, their statements of intent, their proclamations of purpose, and their declarations of ambition are, quite literally, unbelievable. Here we go again…