Re: Can anyone break into the top four places?
Arsenal will never be a debt-free club. Arsenal is a very large company and will always us...
Arsenal will never be a debt-free club. Arsenal is a very large company and will always use its position to gear its investments if it is possible to make a profit. Arsenal may reach a lower level of debt as the cost of the stadium gets paid off.
The problem that is being talked about is that clubs like Man Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City are running up levels of debt that cannot be serviced by the Club itself in a sustainable manner, so the owners are stepping in the cover the debt. This is unsustainable in the long run because the Club as a company cannot pay off its debts. When some of these owners decide to pull out and minimise their losses, the clubs will be in huge financial struggle.
So going back to the topic, Arsenal seem to have a very prudent financial timeline that they stick to, and in this way will always be able to service their debts in a timely manner. And given the current financial crisis, it may be difficult for some of the other clubs to roll over their debt instruments.
So arsenal should remain in the top four for a long time in theory, since the squad is getting better, and they would be looking to add extra quality at the same time as developing the current squad.
Man Utd will always be in the top four, debt or no debt. If they sell Ronaldo they will make a heap of money, and can use this to buy 2 or 3 other world class players without going into further debt.
Liverpool on the otherhand are at a very tight spot i think. They are playing good football now, and have a good coach. But financially they are in a lot of trouble, and this may lead to the selling of key players, or players leaving because wages cannot be met. Besides Gerrard, Carragher and possibly Torres for the short term, they don't have massive loyalty at the club.
Chelsea are in my opinion the most likely to suffer. Ancelotti is a proven Serie A coach, but as we have seen in the Premier League, a proven coach in other leagues doesn't mean jack. Even great coaches like Scolari and Murinho couldn't even hold there own at the club doing pretty well, imagine Chelsea get off to a nightmare start? The club would be in crisis mode, firing people left and right. And when you look at their squad, players are getting old, and if Terry thinks they will get Kaka and Ribery they can keep dreaming. Their owner has held chelsea for a long time now, and it is only a matter of time before he moves elsewhere. He is only using the club as a financial instrument in whatever scheme he is running, and when he has achieved what he wants, he will go and so will players wages, record transfer fees etc. And the worst prospect for Chelsea fans is that the next group to buy Chelsea probably need to be richer than Abramovich. Good luck trying to find someone like that that is willing to take on so much debt.
