Bridging

The manager of Arsenal football club could have blown £30m on one signing if he had wished to during the recent transfer window, according to reports.

Arsene Wenger would have been given the funds for a single player if he’d have asked, a high-ranking executive at the club said.

Danny Fiszman, quoted by the Guardian newspaper, said the answer would have been “absolutely yes” if Wenger had requested a kitty for a big name.

Mr Fiszman, who is Arsenal’s second-largest shareholder, also said the club was in good financial shape even before it played a sensible game in the transfer market.

Other English clubs have spent big in the summer, with Chelsea spending £8m on Portuguese play maker Deco and £16.2m on his defensive compatriot Jose Bosingwa.

Arsene Wenger is known for buying lesser-known players and moulding them into world-class operators.

In 1997 he bought French striker Nicolas Anelka for £500,000 and later sold him in 1999 for £22.3m to Spanish club Real Madrid.

Arsenal have not won a trophy since 2005 but are known for a distinctive passing style which has won plaudits over the last three years.

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