Wenger Explains Decision Not To Buy

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended his decision not to add to his squad before Friday nights transfer deadline.

Gunners fans were excited to see the arrival of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla at the Emirates this summer, but their mood was offset by the sales of captain Robin van Persie to Manchester United and midfielder Alex Song to Barcelona.

Many Arsenal fans, myself included, were expecting the boss to reinvest the money raised from the sales of RVP and Song, with a defensive midfielder a minimum requirement and the more optimistic were hoping for a striker and a versatile defender.

However, despite being linked with several names throughout Europe in recent months the window closed last night with no new faces arriving at Arsenal.

Wenger has defended his actions by claiming spending money is not always the answer and insisted the players brought in should be given some time to prove themselves.

The boss also hinted that he couldn’t find any players on the market who were better then the players we’ve already got and again pointed to players like Jack Wilshere being like a ‘new signing’.

“We have bought already – Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud,”

“But when you listen to people, you always have to buy more.

“Spending in itself is not a quality. Buying better players than we have – that is a quality.

“We do spend when we find the right players. You have to give the players who have come in a bit of time.

“Thierry Henry arrived and didn’t play before November, Robert Pires wasn’t an automatic starter at first.

“What is important is that we believe in the players we have and get our long-term injuries back, like Jack Wilshere.”

Wenger is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News

While i do think Arsene has a point, in that we’ve signed three quality players this summer who need some time, he can’t hide from the fact we’re extremely light up front, have no experienced out-and-out defensive midfielder in the squad and he’s once again made a profit in a transfer window.

Read more Arsenal transfer news

There were certainly players available this summer, within our price range, who could have improved the squad. Nigel de Jong, Gregory van der Wiel, Yann M’Vila, Etienne Capoue, Clint Dempsey, and even Dimitar Berbatov were all either available or sold this summer at prices within our prudent budget.

But Arsene has decided to go with what he’s got, bank the money, and presumably hope the key players in the squad stay injury free. It’s a massive gamble. Let’s see if it pays off….

Who do you think Wenger should have signed this summer? Get involved in the comments section.

Fancy a flutter on the game? Claim your £10 welcome bonus at Sky Bet and enjoy some of the best match odds in the business.