Arsenal chase down big-spending United to claim the title

The 2001-02 English Premier League title was won by Arsenal, clinching the title at Old Trafford in the closing stages of the season to bring Manchester United’s run of victories to an end.

The Gunners were convincing and worthy winners, finishing seven points ahead of Liverpool and 10 clear of United.

CHANGES

Manchester United, after three seasons of being too good domestically but falling short in Europe, decided to double down on their dominance by spending large sums on a duo they believed could take them to another level.

Juan Sebastian Veron’s £28m signing from Lazio shattered their previous club record, while the transfer of Ruud van Nistelrooy, one that should have happened the previous year only for a cruciate ligament injury to postpone the deal, finally went through with a cheque for £19m written to PSV Eindhoven. Veteran Laurent Blanc and promising forward Diego Forlan were also added in a clear message to the rest of the division that they would have to significantly raise their game to compete.

The other clubs may have struggled to compete with that spending, but they were also able to make some shrewd additions. Arsenal made Sol Campbell the most high-profile Bosman signing to date, moving from rivals Tottenham on a huge salary, while the versatile Giovanni Van Bronckhorst was a useful addition from Rangers.

Liverpoo,l meanwhile added in a number of departments; they solved their ongoing goalkeeper problem by bringing in not one, but two stoppers in the form of Chris Kirkland and Jerzy Dudek. Czech forward Milan Baros and full-back John Arne-Riise were also brought in and they would help Liverpool develop into a force to be reckoned with.

Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich spending was still a few years away but they were still active, adding Frank Lampard from West Ham as well as William Gallas, Emmanuel Petit and Bolo Zenden.

Newcastle also looked good – Laurent Robert cost £11m from Paris Saint-Germain while Craig Bellamy would eventually form…

Source link : https://www.footballcritic.com/season-reviews/arsenal-chase-down-big-spending-united-to-claim-the-title-the-2001-02-premier-league/57

Author : [email protected] (Martin Macdonald)

Publish date : 2024-07-27 10:00:00

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