Finally, the price was right for Arsene Wenger

Finally, the price was right for Arsene Wenger. From being accused of penny-pinching to blowing more than £50million on two players in the space of a couple of hours, the Arsenal manager has gone from one extreme to the other.

As the Gunners manager enjoyed a Thursday night meal at a South American restaurant in north London, his negotiators were putting an end to the notion — at least for another 12 months — that Wenger is football’s version of Scrooge.

Lucas Perez was in London on Friday to have a medical and complete his £16.9m switch from Deportivo La Coruna. Central defender Shkodran Mustafi will finalise his £35m move from Valencia this weekend

Add that to the £35m spent on midfielder Granit Xhaka, £2.5m on Rob Holding and £3.5m on Takuma Asano — it’s been close to a £100m summer at the Emirates.

Who says Wenger doesn’t like to spend? The assertion that the Frenchman is tight-fisted is a modern-day football myth.

Wenger, despite the popular consensus, is happy to blow millions in the market. What he isn’t so comfortable with is the price

Arsenal’s valuation of a prospective signings is always put through a four-point acid test: the footballer’s current level of talent, his capacity to improve, his age and potential resale value.

If Wenger, and the club’s board, are satisfied the player in question fits the four criteria then they’ll loosen the purse strings.

Mesut Ozil was a case in point. The German was 24 and already recognised as one of the world’s most creative attacking midfielders when he arrived at the Emirates.

Mustafi ticks all the boxes. That is why he’s set to become the club’s second most expensive signing behind Ozil.

Wenger, though, has shown an interesting change in tact over the summer. 

The shock factor of the club’s failed move for Jamie Vardy was amplified by the Leicester striker’s age.

At 29, despite his proven Premier League quality, the move for Vardy represented a sea change for Wenger.

He wasn’t buying potential but the finished article. The likelihood of recouping even half of the £20m fee was minimal. 

Yet, Wenger still decided to go for it, making Vardy his No 1 target.