Another new season is off to a great start and “another” brand-new Arsenal team is finally getting itself going after a nervy start.

Arsene Wenger

I say a another new team, because once again a summer transfer window has gone by and Arsenal have sold off some of their major assets. This transfer window it was Robin van Persie and Alex Song. Two players that have been at Arsenal since they where teenagers and two players that were really only just coming into their prime.For van Persie, it was his break-out season for goals scored, while also being his first and only non injury interrupted season in his time at Arsenal, while Song, was finally maturing into a well rounded player.

To Wenger and Arsenal’s Credit, the manager does continue to go out and find a steady crop of young players to fill the void left by his stars and bring a semblance of success to the club. Now it’s not success in the manner of winning trophies, but success by way of getting his Arsenal team a top four premiership finish & qualification for the best club tournament on the planet and financially profitable Champions league.

Which is part of the problem? On one hand, Arsenal make money and lots of it, while on the other hand, they continue to have somewhat of a successful seasons. They are always in the running for trophies and the Premiership title, they typically having a decent run in the Champions league, they have even made it to a number of finals in recent years. By most accounts, Arsenal continue to have seasons that most clubs would be more than happy with.

But it is really enough success for a club of their stature? Especially when you look at their recent history of no trophies in 7 years, to their accomplishments in the late 90s and early 2000’s, where under Wenger they picked up 3 Premiership titles and multiple FA Cups. In those days the Premier league title went to either Manchester United or Arsenal. A run of success that culminated with the “invincibles” of 2003 winning the Premiership title while going undefeated the entire season.

Arsenal find themselves in the worse of conundrums. Do they make money or do they sacrifice a little bit of that money in the pursuit of titles.

On the business side of things, Arsenal continue to be an absolute success, there is no doubt about it, with the building and financing of the Emirates stadium an testament to that.

But for Arsenal, unfortunately, part of their formula for making money has been the selling of key players. And the number of key players that they have sold or have left due to financial reasons is astounding.