Premier League: Arsenal not keen on big money transfers

Arsenal will not even try to compete with other big clubs on transfer fees, according to chief executive Ivan Gazidis who said that they "can't afford to make huge mistakes". Arsene Wenger had made an offer worth almost 30 million pounds for Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette this summer but the French club turned down the bid. The Gunners had also been interested in Gonzalo Higuain, who just moved to Juventus for a staggering fee of over 75 million pounds. Arsenal have brought in just three new players this summer, but only Granit Xhaka is an immediate solution for the first team while striker Takuma Asano and defender Rob Holding will most likely be regarded as players for the future. While some supporters have criticized the club's lack of activity on the transfer market, Ivan Gazidis defended the management's policy. "We can't afford to outgun competitors that have far more money. We have to be very careful, very selective," Gazidis said. "We would not be successful if we simply went out into the transfer market and tried to outgun our competitors. We're run in a self-sustaining way, and a way that we believe in, because we believe it gives us certainty for the future and enables us to plan our future with confidence. That means we can't afford to make huge mistakes in the transfer market. We can't afford to outgun competitors that have far more money to splurge on transfer fees than we do. So we have to be very careful, very selective about how we do things." Arsenal are 6/1 at Bet365 to win the Premier League title next season.