Arsenal profits put pressure on Arsene Wenger to start spending
Arsenal manager under fire to start spending on players as club declares healthy interim results
Arsene Wenger will face renewed calls for new signings after Arsenal announced a pre-tax profit of £17.8 million (HK$208 million) in their half-yearly results.
Wenger has been criticised repeatedly in recent years for failing to spend big money on new players while Arsenal's results on the field continue to suffer.
The Premier League club's latest healthy financial report, to the end of November last year, will only add to the pressure on the Gunners' boss to loosen the purse strings at the Emirates Stadium after eight years without a trophy and embarrassing exits from the FA and League Cups against lower league opposition this season.
The profit, down on £49.5 million for 2011 and achieved by the £24 million sale of Robin van Persie to Manchester United, accompanies an increased figure of £123.3 million in cash reserves.
The Arsenal Supporters' Trust (AST) claimed the figures once again highlighted the need for the club to spend more money on developing a team to compete with the giants.
"These figures contain few surprises. They show that Arsenal yet again made a profit from the sale of their best players and that the club has large cash reserves," an AST spokesman said.
"Arsenal fans have contributed to this financial health through paying some of the highest ticket prices in world football. AST members want to see this money used for more, and better, investment in the team".