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Football London
Football London
Sport
Tom Canton

Arsenal worry over Manchester United takeover is forgetting one crucial factor in future rivalry

Typical, right? Arsenal finally after all their years in the wilderness of fourth to eighth since their last title in 2004 have built a competitive squad to challenge Manchester City and the likes of Chelsea and Newcastle are bought out and boosted by mega-rich new owners.

Manchester United are also in the process of a potential takeover with the Glazer family reportedly open to selling, although there remains some doubt about when, if ever, that will happen. United were tipped by some, Gary Neville more than most, to finish above Arsenal this season.

Now with them 19 points behind with 10 games to play (12 for them), it doesn’t seem likely. So is there a reason for concern with these hugely wealthy prospective owners sniffing around Old Trafford?

READ MORE: Arsenal’s full-strength Premier League title boost hits Man City hard after Erling Haaland blow

To an extent, sure. However, there is one factor that has persisted since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and the beginning of United’s persistent fall away from being regular title challengers.

Man Utd have always spent silly amounts of money and it has got never made a difference regarding their competitive capacity to the title-chasing side(s). This is despite the fact that they have spent more than approximately £1.4billion on players since Ferguson's exit, comparatively more than Arsenal.

United have always spent money which could be compared to anyone in the league and paid wages that are typically in line with the highest outlays in the league. Yet they’ve finished above Arsenal only three times in the last nine seasons, which will soon become 10.

Look to Chelsea. Todd Boehly has come in and spent what is fair to call a ludicrous amount of money in the space of a year and despite that, the Blues sit tenth, eleven points and six clubs off the top four.

It has never been about how much a club spends on players that determines success. It relates more so to who the players are, how they fit into the system of the coach, the ability of the coach in relation to the players at his disposal and the harmony in the group amongst many other factors.

This has been something that with the introduction of Mikel Arteta, Edu Gaspar and further additions in backroom staff Arsenal have done very well. What should be scary for the Gunners’ rivals is the club can still improve and make fewer mistakes, particularly regarding outgoings.

So if you ever find yourself reading through stories of the next billionaire set to take over at another one of Arsenal’s rivals, for now, bask in the fact that our club is on a good pathway, making smart choices and with a young group filled to the brim with potential. I say, bring it on if you can.

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