Claudius wrote:
No. We don’t have anymore time to waste.
In many ways I agree with you, Claud, but I think this is false urgency. If Kroenke wants to use his own actual money to buy players, then now could be a good time to go whole hog, but I don't think a coach can take you where you need to go without massive investment.
The trouble is, unless you're pulling out all the stops to mount a title challenge, you're unlikely to make top four regardless. You might challenge, and take advantage of a slip up now and then to poach a CL spot, but you won't be a top four team in any kind of meaningfully long-term way.
Even if you do push hard, it won't last without constantly refreshing the squad (and maybe even the coaching staff). The only blueprint that has a chance of working in the long-term is to find good coaches and provide them with a never ending supply of the world's best players. Anything less and you're at the mercy of the tides to some extent or another.
We can do better than 10th, obviously, and I'm positive Arteta will do better than 10th next season. But a title challenge in two years? We'd need to put hundreds of millions into this squad (or equivalent value after what would need to be brilliant work from Edu and co), and we'd have to get very lucky and hit a hot streak just at the right time (i.e. while others struggle).
TL ; DR Sustained investment is the only real model for success in football these days.
