What if: Arsene Wenger never took charge of Arsenal

#3 No new stadium

Arsenal would never have moved to the fantastic Emirates stadium

While many experts and fans alike, have criticised Arsene Wenger's spending habits in the past, it was this that ensured Arsenal’s financial sustainability while transitioning into a new 60,000 seater, state of the art, Emirates stadium.

Construction of the new stadium began way back in 2000 and was completed in 2006 costing a whopping £390 million. The Gunners were denied public subsidy by the government for funding of the stadium and hence had to look at other means, one of which was buying players for low amounts and selling high, something which Wenger is best known for.

Arsenal got over £50m through this venture just through the sales of Nicolas Anelka, Marc Overmars, and Emmanuel Petit. Also, according to Wenger himself, it was his presence that guaranteed the Gunners obtained the bank loans they required during construction.

“When we built the stadium the banks demanded that I signed for five years," he said. "The banks wanted the technical consistency to guarantee that we have a chance to pay them back."

During this phase, Wenger also made sure that The Gunners did not miss out on Champions League football for even a single season, a mean feat for a club on such a tight budget.

All in all, Wenger ensured that the club could easily pay off their stadium debt and played a huge role in making the club self-sufficient