'Arsene Wenger should have spent another £50m'

The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust today hailed the arrival of Mesut Ozil as a “transformational signing” but urged the club to overhaul their player-recruitment structure after another frantic finale to the transfer window.

The Gunners confirmed the arrival of Ozil for a club-record £42.5million just over 30 minutes before the 11pm deadline to climax a hectic final day in which Arsenal also signed keeper Emiliano Viviano from Palermo on a season-long loan.

Ozil’s transfer shatters the club’s previous highest fee of £15m — paid to Zenit St Petersburg for Andrey Arshavin in 2009 — and, in tandem with his £150,000-a-week wage, signals the end of Arsenal’s financial constraints in the transfer market.

But after a summer that saw Arsenal fail in their pursuits of Gonzalo Higuain, Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney and Luis Gustavo, the AST believe that the current transfer strategy — devised by manager Arsene Wenger, chief executive Ivan Gazidis and chief negotiator Dick Law — needs revising.

In a statement to Standard Sport, the AST, whose members hold around 4.5 per cent equity in the club, said: “We welcome the statement of intent Arsenal have made with the signing of a world-class player like Mesut Ozil. It is a transformational signing for the club in terms of both transfer fee and wages paid. It is, however, frustrating that once again a window has closed with over £50m left unspent. The AST would like to see all available resources put toward strengthening the team.

“This summer’s transfer window has also reinforced the AST’s view that the club need to overhaul their boardroom and football management infrastructure so they have the very best set-up to maximise the way in which the modern-day transfer window now operates.”