Arsenal legend Frank McLintock has insisted that this season needs to be “payback time” for the club.
The former Arsenal captain, who led the side to Double glory in 1971, has been left like many Gooners tired and frustrated of seeing the Emirates outfit go from year to year without winning a trophy.
The Gunners are arguably the best run Premier League club off the field and are one of the few sides who aren’t running up a ridiculous amount of debt, and are making money in the process.
However, Arsene Wenger and co haven’t be able to translate that into success on the field and are still awaiting their first trophy since that FA Cup win against Manchester United in 2005.
However, the Scot is certain that the North London outfit can turn it around and that this is the best team they have had since they last won silverware.
“They seem to be heading in the right direction at the moment, apart from looking like they might lose Robin Van Persie,” McLintock told <em>talkSPORT</em>.
“They were outstanding against Cologne [at the weekend], and I’ve seen videos of the players they’ve bought – Podolski, Giroud and Cazorla – and they look fantastic. So maybe Arsenal will have a stronger team this year than last year.
“I think Arsenal are waking up to the fact they can’t keep putting [ticket] prices up and not spending on the pitch. The debt must be well under control now. They’ve had very good money coming in over the last two seasons. They must have had almost £200m from Manchester City alone.
“It’s payback time now. The three buys they’ve made looked very good and if they get another couple in, this could be their best team for maybe seven years.”
Arsenal get their Premier League campaign underway against Sunderland at the Emirates on Saturday.
Matt Cotton
@FindingCotton
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