Arsenal transfers: Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil prove money talks for Gunners

Ozil and Sanchez were signed for a combined £77.5m

(Getty Images)

While there will always be bargains, like Jamie Vardy and Jose Fonte, quality usually costs. Mesut Özil and Alexis Sanchez, the architects of Arsenal’s comfortable Champions League victory over Dynamo Zagreb on Tuesday night, were signed for a total of £77.5m.

They are, by some distance, Arsenal’s most expensive buys. The club’s next biggest is Calum Chambers at £16m (and then only if all the add-ons are met). The price tag, as with so many Arsène Wenger acquisitions, reflected Chambers’ youth and potential rather than his levels of performance.

Özil and Sanchez were different. Already established stars, they came from Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, and even then it has taken until this season for Özil to demonstrate his class on a consistent basis.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech – a cut-price £10m because of his age and circumstances – is another example of Arsenal benefiting from buying a premium product, which makes many Gunners fans wonder why, now the Emirates is a veritable cash machine, Wenger does not invest this way more often. The manager often says the players are not available, but in one of the problem positions – holding midfield – other English clubs have managed to buy players such as Morgan Schneiderlin and Nemanja Matic.

Wenger, in jovial mood, insisted after Tuesday’s 3-0 win that he was not miserly. “I don’t agree with you. If you come out with me, you will see I like to spend money,” he said, deflecting the real issue. “It is you, the press, that have given me that reputation, but my friends don’t think that.”

Wenger may have to spend on a defensive midfielder in January, with Francis Coquelin ruled out until late February with the knee ligament injury sustained at The Hawthorns on Saturday. Mikael Arteta is also injured, and not a natural defensive midfielder in any case, so Wenger now has only Mathieu Flamini experienced in the role.

Finding a high-class recruit in the January window, especially one eligible to play in the Champions League, is, however, extremely difficult, so Wenger will have to try to muddle through again.

It may work on the domestic front. The title race is wide open and if Wenger can get sufficient players fit again, Arsenal have as good a squad as any. Aaron Ramsey made his return on Tuesday, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be fit for the final group match at Olympiakos on 9 December and Theo Walcott may be available by then.

In the meantime Wenger’s players need to avoid further injuries. He revealed Olivier Giroud was withdrawn against Zagreb because he “had a little problem with his ankle” and Hector Bellerin “ had a groin problem”. This meant he was unable to rest Sanchez, whom Wenger has said is tired, though moving him into a central position after Giroud came off meant the Chilean was required to do less running.

In Europe, however, Arsenal (like everyone else) look a level below Barcelona and Bayern Munich. They can at least be consoled by the knowledge that, come the draw for the round of 16, they cannot face the latter, having been in the same group.

First they must win in Greece by any scoreline other than 1-0 or 2-1. Wenger is confident, as he should be if Özil and Sanchez remain fit.

“A few rounds ago we were almost out of the competition, now we have everything in our hands to progress,” said Wenger.