Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended his club's transfer policy after the Gunners revealed healthy pre-tax profits of £36.6 million.
The north London side's 2011-12 financial results were boosted by the funds raised through the sales of the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy, but spending on player wages increased from £124m to £143m.
Match-day income has also risen slightly to more than £95m for the year, with the cheapest tickets for Saturday's game against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium priced at £62 - making it the most expensive game in Premier League history.
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"Our numbers are good," Wenger told reporters. "They are pleasing, very pleasing. We are very lucky because we have good support and the income of our gates is very high.
"We have to maintain that by keeping our fans happy and to continue to manage well in the way we do it.
"We are not scared to spend the money but we feel that even if we spend our money we can't compete with some clubs on certain players. We want to spend our money in the right way."
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| 9/1 | Hugo Rodallega is 9/1 with PaddyPower to score the first goal in Fulham v Man City |
"It's a pleasure to play alongside him, and I think we work well together. He doesn't just score goals, but he creates them too.
"That said, the club has a number of talented attacking players with Petric and Bryan Ruiz also fighting for a place. The competition for a starting spot is really high but it's a challenge I enjoy facing."
Fulham host Manchester City on Saturday and Rodallega has set his sights on collecting three points from the defending champions, describing the Cottagers as the potential "surprise of the season".
"We all know the players that they have and how good they can be," he said of Roberto Mancini's team.
"But there's no reason why we can't get the result that we want. We're at home and want to add another three points to what we already have.
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"I have a good feeling about the campaign ahead - we could be the surprise of the season"
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"I have a good feeling about the campaign ahead, and I think we could be the surprise of the season. Fulham have achieved a lot in the past few years and that has inspired the team to do well, if not better.
"We are a very ambitious group and on top of wanting to do well for the fans, we want to make it a season to remember."
Rodallega decided against celebrating against Wigan, his previous club, but promised to display his happiness next time around.
"I was at Wigan for a long time, so of course, they are a club close to my heart," he explained.
"It was strange going back there, and even stranger scoring against them. But I'm a Fulham player now, and it meant a lot to get my first goal. You never forget your first goal for a club.
"I will celebrate my next goal, that's a promise. Hopefully there will be a lot more. It just didn't feel right, I hope the Fulham fans understood that. I was treated really well at Wigan – they were the club that gave me the chance to play in the Premier League."



