Former Arsenal full-back Nigel Winterburn has conceded that the club will find it hard to compete with their Premier League rivals in the transfer market this summer.
To become a major force in the English game again, many pundits have insisted that manager Arsene Wenger must bolster his squad dramatically ahead of the new campaign.
However, because of the club's wage structure, Winterburn has admitted that the top players are more likely to sign for the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.
"The problem at Arsenal is always that they have a wage structure which is fairly high, but in terms of competing with Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, if they are after the same player, particularly with the history of Man Utd and Chelsea of late, the player is more likely to go to one of those teams," said Winterburn, who was speaking at a Football Pools event.
With four matches left to play, the Gunners are third in the Premier League table.
Liam Apicella
