Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis is adamant that Arsene Wenger has the resources at his disposal this summer to take the club forward.
The Gunners have been linked with a host of players across Europe in the last month, with Wenger reportedly boosted by a £70m transfer kitty.
Stevan Jovetic, Wayne Rooney, Gonzalo Higuain and Marouane Fellaini are among the names rumoured to be on Wenger's summer shortlist, but no formal bids have been registered for any player at this stage.
Gazidis has conceded that the Gunners must set their ambitions beyond securing a top-four finish, revealing that Wenger is prepared to spend big on players he feels can markedly improve his current squad.
He told an Arsenal Supporters Trust meeting at the Emirates last night: "The manager is not scared to spend money but he has to believe they are top-class players who will add to the squad.
"Can I guarantee he will spend all of that money? It depends on the talent. The key is having players Arsene believes in, adding them to the squad and making sure he has a cohesive squad he believes in. I accept we haven't done that over the last few years.
"We have essentially been very consistent, we haven't slipped backwards and we haven't gone forwards. We need to go forwards. It is not enough to be watching a video of a last-minute scramble to get over the line into fourth place. No-one at this club wants that."
The Gunners have freed up room for acquisitions by releasing a string of players in the last week, including experienced duo Sebastian Squillaci and Andrei Arshavin.
Liam Power
