Wenger's "Natural Potential" 12:00am

Inside Sport showed an interesting interview with Arsene Wenger last week. It highlighted his charisma that is often not seen in the stressful surroundings of the post-match interview.

However, I was interested in his thoughts on money. Wenger is famously prudent in the transfer market compared to his rivals and events such as the Champions League exit this week suggest hubris on his part.

On the show Wenger spoke of relying only on a club’s “natural potential”, and only spending what he thought was dutifully earned by the clubs:

Gate receipts + Sponsorship + TV money = Natural potential

Although he didn’t elaborate, he mentioned both Newcastle and Aston Villa (these could be questioned though in the light of recent takeovers).

For what it’s worth, I think beyond Arsenal it is only Blackburn and Everton who are successfully leveraging their natural potential in the Premier League.