Saturday, August 31, 2013
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he will not panic buy
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said he will not
be forced into making any panic buys ahead of the
transfer window closing on Monday.
Striker Yaya Sanogo, 20, and midfielder Mathieu
Flamini, 29, are the only senior players to join this
summer, both on free transfers.
Karim Benzema factfile
Born: 19 December, 1987
Club career: After excelling for hometown club
Lyon, he moved to Spanish giants Real Madrid for
£35m in 2009
International career: Continues to endure an
infuriating time with France, with the 25-year-old
currently not scoring an international goal in 1,155
minutes
The Gunners also currently have a number of
injuries to key men.
"We will not panic buy, that is for sure. It is not my
strength to panic," the 63-year-old said.
In June, Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said the
club was ready to "escalate" their spending.
When asked whether Arsenal could afford to spend a
£20m transfer fee on a single player and offer
salaries of £200,000 per week, he said: "Of course we
could do that. We could do more than that."
In a frustrating few months, the Gunners have not
been able to build on those words.
They have failed with two offers for Liverpool
striker Luis Suarez, seen their £10m bid for
Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye rejected
and been linked with moves for strikers Wayne
Rooney of Manchester United and Gonzalo Higuain,
who eventually switched from Real Madrid to
Napoli.
Wenger was urged to spend money during the 3-1
defeat to Aston Villa a fortnight ago
The Gunners are also understood to be interested in
Real Madrid pair Angel Di Maria and Karim
Benzema.
This lack of activity has seen the Arsenal fans
repeatedly urge the club to spend some money.
Wenger's options have been further reduced by
lengthy injuries to striker Lukas Podolski, defender
Thomas Vermaelen, plus midfielders Alex Oxlade-
Chamberlain and Mikel Arteta.
"The players we have here know how we want to play
the game, and that is important," the Frenchman
said. "If we can add players who can integrate that
style of play, we will do it.
"We will not do anything stupid, for the sake of
saying we have done something. We do what makes
sense, that is simple."
One arrival has seen Flamini return to Emirates
Stadium, five years after his contract expired
and he moved to Italian giants AC Milan.
The France international had been training with
Arsenal throughout the summer, but Wenger
revealed he initially had no plans to bring him back
on a permanent basis.
Angel Di Maria factfile
Born: 14 February, 1988
Club career: After impressing at Benfica following
his switch from Argentina's Rosario Central, has
performed a key role at Real Madrid since his £20m
move in 2010
International career: Won Olympic gold with
Argentina in 2008, and represented his country at
the 2010 World Cup
He said: "At the start, I did not want to sign him. The
circumstances, and his attitude, convinced me to do
it. I did not expect him to be in that mental state or
physical shape."
One player believed to be on his way out this
summer was striker Nicklas Bendtner.
The Denmark international, who has not played for
his parent club in more than two years following loan
spells at Sunderland and Juventus, looked set to
leave only for potential moves to break down.
Wenger has now said if Bendtner can prove his
fitness, he could get chances in the first team.
He said: "The chances for him to leave now are very,
very small. If he does not leave, prepares well and is
really fit, I will use him."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment