Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger has hit out at Manchester United for their decision to spend 80 million euros on the Monaco forward, Anthony Martial.
Wenger explained that he had the money to spend on deadline day, but was not interested in making such investments.
Manchester United splashed £36m on the Monaco forward, Anthony Martial, on deadline day.
Martial has been identified as the candidate to solve United’s goalscoring issues. Although the Frenchman’s talent is beyond doubt, the young versatile forward is just not worth that much money.
Arsene Wenger also revealed the true cost of Anthony Martial. Despite the English media claiming that United secured the teenager’s services for around £36m, Wenger claimed that the figure was actually £59m.
Following his Manchester United transfer, Martial is now the most expensive teenager in World football.
Speaking to the media about Arsenal’s lack of signings, Wenger explained that the money was always there to sign players. The Frenchman claimed that he was just not willing to splash ridiculous sums of money on players, who were not going to improve Arsenal a lot.
“What happened last night with Monaco, who sold Martial to Manchester United for 80 million Euros, I’ve heard… Martial scored 11 goals in the French championship – that sums it up well,” said Wenger.
“That means it’s not the money that’s missing at the moment, it’s not the desire of investment that is missing, it’s the number of players available who can strengthen the big clubs.
“The problem at the moment is finding the players that guarantee you are a better team after, and that example last night shows you very well.
Despite acknowledging the fact that Martial is a huge talent, Wenger stated that the investment is too huge and that he would not have been happy if he had to invest that amount of money on a teenager.
“Martial is a huge talent – he’s 19 years old. The investment is absolutely huge as well. It shows you that there’s not many players in the world who can strengthen these teams.
“So am I happy with the investment I make? Yes, every time. I bought Sanchez, I bought Ozil, I bought Cech, I bought Gabriel last year.”
It will be interesting to see how Arsenal cope without another striker or a midfielder this season. Furthermore, It will also be intriguing to see how Martial continues his development at Old Trafford, under the pressure of a massive fee.
Martial showed what an outstanding talent he is, last season.
But this season brings a whole new challenge for the talented forward, who will not only be testing himself in a better league, but will have to demonstrate an outstanding mentality as well, to deal with and deliver on the expectations.
Time will tell if Arsene Wenger is right to question the transfer of Anthony Martial.
After the sale of Hernandez, Van Gaal’s side were reduced to just one striker and the Dutchman chose to overpay on Martial. Although it might not look like a good deal at the moment, it could very well prove to be decisive, come the end of the season.
Judging by Wayne Rooney’s form, the Martial signing could be the difference between 4th and 5th. It is evident that Louis Van Gaal is looking at the bigger picture in this case and maybe time will justify his decision to break the bank on a teenager.
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