Wenger – No top class strikers available…

If this is true then it seems that Real Madrid don’t want to sell Karim Benzema to Arsenal, and there are no other top strikers anywhere else that are on the market. It seems clear that there is no-one available that Wenger thinks will be better than the strikers we already have, or that will want (or be allowed) to come to Arsenal.

Talking to the media in the pre-match conference, Wenger told the Evening Standard: “There’s a shortage [of top class strikers] in the world,”

“It confirms that there’s a difference between financial power nowadays and the availability of top-class players.

“It is simple. For any deal, when you want to buy something you go to see the owner and if he doesn’t want to sell, he doesn’t want to sell. You cannot buy. In our job it is exactly like that. When the players are not free you cannot buy them because it’s the club who decides, the person who owns the contract who decides. In Europe you have maybe 15 clubs with a huge financial resource.

“It is hard, believe me, to get a deal over the line. It’s difficult as well if you’re not completely inside the deal, to know what happens. Did Pedro not want to go? Did Manchester United not want to spend more? I don’t know.”

“It was a surprise to me because I thought he was landing at Manchester but he finally landed in London. The story was out for such a long time that I thought he was going to go to Manchester, but then suddenly in 24 hours [he joined Chelsea]. We’ve seen that before on the transfer market. I don’t know what happened exactly.

“I’m always more focused on developing the team, the players we have and getting everyone on board that we have at the club. We want to develop players as well rather than overthinking whether to buy.

“I’m not against buying when it is a plus for your team. If it’s just to buy a player at the level of the players that you have to make people happy, I’m not ready for that. If it’s somebody who brings something that you don’t already have in the squad, then of course you want to do that.”

I can certainly see hy he would prefer to develop from within, especially when you think of how many super-promising players we have going out on loan this season. What on Earth will we do if they all perform brilliantly at their loan clubs. Surely we won’t be able to keep all of them?

And I wonder if he’s talking about Pedro because Arsenal were also in the running for the Barcelona winger. Surely he could have improved our side,especially if Walcott is now going to be a permanent centre-forward…..

Tags Benzema Pedro Wenger

81 Comments

    1. I am not surprised by his obvious stubbornness, the only thing that surprises me is that there are people who still believe that wenger is the right man to lead us to the title after 12 YEARS, not months, of mediocrity. Smh

      1. The 35 thumbsdown you got does not mean you are wrong, it just means that half of our fans are happy with mediocracy

        1. The people who are against Wenger right now before going on about lack of transfer activity are just impatient and are angry with no outfield signings as of yet. When this window closes we will have a new signing or two and most importantly we will have the large majorty back on Wengers side.

          I can understand the frustration, I like everybody else does love seeing new players arrive. Ill be glad though to get fans back on board and realising what a strong squad we have. Fans who witnessed Arsenal being the best club for half a season will come back around and will not be disappointed on seeing our quality and effort over the coming season.

          Like I said, for five months last season we were the team to beat. I believe we can perform in this manner over the course of this season. I also believe that when Wenger has said he expects one or two more signings he means it. I know its difficult nobody likes waiting patiently but a little longer and we will get a pick me up am sure of it.

          1. Best club in the second half of the season but yet still slipped from second place to third as we lost our bottle once again…… A couple of seasons ago we was the best team in england for the first half of the season then struggled to first fourth.
            Unless your strong all season it means nothing

      2. @antiwenger

        We dont have real fans of the club,its just handfull of us.we have too meny akb ass lickers,whos only concern are wenger losing his job,they dont care about Arsenal fc.they are wengers love childs.thats way they dont care if we dont win anything as long as there baffun wengers on payroll.my bloods boil wen them akb ass licker deffend there loard.12 years u morrons,12 years same old excuse,that baffuns on 8millions a year payroll he couldnt find a world class striker since henry left.cant sort out the deffence,cant sort out dm.every year we are short off atleast 2 or 3 player but he rather not spend the money club offers him,its like his happy to take 8million doin same old mistake n them akb ass licker chering hin on

  1. “it’s somebody who brings something that you don’t already have in the squad, then of course you want to do that.”

    Ok…so your squad cannot be bettered then Arsene????????????????

    #godHelpUs

      1. Whether fans yearn it or not you should have a clue about how to improve your team/squad in order to challenge.

        Mr Wenger IMHO lacks greatly in this respect.

        1. Yes, tell me how Falcao would’ve improved on Giroud, Fabregas on Ozil, or Pedro on Sanchez and Walcott who can both score +20 a season and suit the PL style. And please explain how Cech wasn’t an improvement on Schezny or how Costa suits the club’s playing style. Was Schweinsteiger really the DM we needed, was Herrera the midfielder we lacked ? If you think every big club has a player on Busquets and Lewandowski’s caliber available then you’re highly mistaken, Wenger got us 3 world class players in 3 seasons, I doubt he’ll stop the habit.

    1. I sad this ages ago he thinks (and he really is in the minority) that group and Walcott are as good as Benzema and say Pedro. Well if this really was the case then we would have sold them or other clubs would be beating a path to our door . They ain’t and never have been weber as usual is talking bollocks to justify his inaction when other clubs have NOT been sitting on their hands. It’s a total farce and despite the painfully obvious short comings no one can do anything about it. I have been a fence sitter for a while on the wenger issue but if he makes no more buys then I shall hitch my wagon the the wenger out brigade cos it’s a bloody farce coming out with this old crap! !!!

  2. typical of Wenger. when de window ends,,he gona say de same thing.

    if we don’t but a DM , then we are not serious as a club.

    with all the attacks chealshit has,,watch them steal Pedro from Man U. that is a serious team.

    1. get off chelsea nuts please.

      media is making believe pedro was the great train robbery. it wasnt

    2. It makes me lough when you Say Man utd are a serious team. A serious team doesn’t buy the sake of buying. Man utd are a team trying to avoid becoming the new Liverpool.
      In my opinion, Wenger did the right thing waiting for benzema. we have a great team and what we need to do is find a player that will fit right into our system.
      I saw Giroud’s statistics and he’s scored or assisted 90 goals in 130 games. That’s pretty good.

      1. the thing w giroud u have to remember is that given that he stands 6 yards out from goal 90% of the time: yes, he’ll score plenty of goals. but if u slotted a cavani/benzema/… in there, they would score MORE goals and make some of their own.
        OG benefits from his position at the apex of AFC’s amazing midfield. and we’ve all see how many sitters he misses. that’s the thing that galls me the most. a WC striker wouldve put those away and given us 6-9 extra points in the last 3 years each.

  3. How can Wenger say top strikers are unavailable. He watched by as other teams were signing them at the beginning of the transfer window. Chelsea came in on Pedro this week and now have him. Wenger is not just committed to getting new players. Also if there is no quality out there to improve arsenal, then we should expect arsenal to not only compete, but to win the major trophies. I doubt if that will be the case if we do not strengthen in the striker positon and a dm.

    1. Not so much the quality isn’t out there, as isn’t often available is how I read it…but still…must try harder.

    2. I don’t believe for a moment that we can’t strengthen the team in most positions. A lot of the improvement may however be marginal and may be offset by the usual downsides that often accompany new blood coming in.

      I have to agree with Wenger though when he says there isn’t a huge amount of world class striker options out there in the market. All of last years PL top 4 are light or deficit in the striker department and apart from Chelsea taking a punt with Falcao to replace Drogba on loan no-one has done any business. The highest profile striker to arrive at a PL club this window is Benteke to Liverpool – for some on here he would have been the answer. For others the wisdom of spending £32M to bench Giroud with Benteke is a more nuanced discussion.

      1. You are simply wrong. We were 12 points off Chelsea last year. 4 points off City. They have both strengthened. Pedro is a fantastic player, and Falcao will probably be more useful then Drogba was last year.
        Otamendi is a great defender, andSterling ads speed and width to their left side that they were lacking with Nasri.
        So we have the same team as last year, dont you think Otamendi would be an Upgrade to BFG? Or Pedro would add something to our attack, maybe help move Theo to the middle and take on the right flank? Dont you think Vidal eho went to Bayern would have added something more to our midfield?
        Anyway, you and your kind will never understand that standing still is as bad as going backwards.
        This club is going backwards, unless in this last week, Arsene brings in 1 or two late additions. And even then? Why so late?

    3. top…
      pedro.

      come on, hes good, but is he better tan Alecis who we boght from them?
      Pedro is not in the league of strikers I WOULD LIKE arsenal to get…in all honesty.
      NOT THAT I D BE MADA if he got here, but 30 m?
      Top-…?

      1. i couldn’t care less if chelsea or manu got pedro. I am no fan of his. Just using that as an example of teams that really go after what they want.

        1. I am not sure that most clubs, big ones, buy palyers they want, as much as they buy players to block them to join rivals.
          They have tons of money so they dont care.
          Cesc to Barza?
          Jovetic to City?
          Pedro to Chelsea?

          1. Strategy they have…
            Very wise they are..

            Give themselves options they do..

            Sign wellbeck they don’t…;)

      2. Good the ox is cool but Walcott? ?? Nah he he’s a spent force not that he was much of a force anyway. He’s never ever gonna be good enough to lead the line. Watch and see this season what happens

    4. If I have a Ferrari thats 1 out of 5 in the world doesn’t mean just because you have 200 mill in the bank I’m gonna sell it to you. In lament terms it what he trying to say. Keep the faith think he actually working this time. Just like all of us know if he doesn’t put up this year with all the cohesion in the sqaud he got hell coming from the fans on both sides of the fence

  4. exactly the kind of bs that makes me so irritated …. in 12 years of failing to win a title never heard this guy say we have weaknesses i need to address and will do everything to bring in top quality in those position …instead we have had chamakh, park squillaci, santos, silvestre….who were jokers…and then a bumch of decent but far from world class options such as eduardo,arshavin, arteta, merteshaker, etc until santi (which was a fluke)….so teams that have done better than us can see ways of improving but this guy cant see any!!!!! any honest person knows that benzema, draxler, krychowiak, bender, etc are all obvious improvements to what we have and some possibly all of these are available for sure at a price … pedro was better than what we have but he didnt go for that either…if he cant see we have a first team that cant win epl or reach semis of cl he should not be in the management business let alone getting 8m for spouting this kind of crap

    1. You talk of twelve years without a title, whilst I was very impressed reading an article on how badly Real Madrid wanted Arsene but he chose to stay loyal. The times that they wanted him were in years of Figo Zidane and more recent with Ronaldo, he could have chose the easy route and won himself everything to be won but the man loves Arsenal too much to even bare thinking about it. I here some fans in here talk so much shit about the Arsenal that I know exactly what they would have chosen for themselves if they were in Wengers shoes. They would have been disloyal and grabbed everything RM

  5. please Arsene ,,,is le coq better than illaramandi?.

    pls Arsene, is Giroud better than lacazette, bacca or even possible , lewandosky? .

    oh pls,,Arsene , how many minutes does Mertarsakar has to drag his long legs to give a simple pass?.

    pls Arsene ,,,where were u n yr good for nothing scouts when Swansea pulled a coup to buy Dede Ayew?

    1. Yeah, I can see it now – the noisy guys on here would have been deliriously happy and fulsome of praise for Wenger if he bought in Bacca and Ayew.

      1. i think the point is that if swansea can pull of ayew who should arsenal, as the 7th richest club on the planet charging highest ticket prices and with one of highest paid managers, be bringing in? keeping joel campbell a priority it seems for this guy…cant make it up really

        1. There isn’t a single Gooner in the world who wouldn’t be whooping it up in the streets if we bought in a striker better than Giroud. But equally there ain’t no-one who is able to name that striker who is in the shop window, available and ready to up sticks and sign on the dotted line for us for a price not smacking of extortion. Especially the calibre of striker the guys on here are dreaming about – nay, demanding. You are probably the most miserable, downbeat guy on here – but I actually I respect your stance, unlike many on here you are consistent and don’t flip-flop all over the shop.

          Is there a gettable realistic signing out there that would float your boat?

          1. Think that’s damned by faint praise but it’s fine…Don’t need some classic centre forward to score goals not true of barca or real for that matter in sense that ronaldo is their main guy or man city for that matter … Three sanchez’s would do me !!! Don’t understand why wenger didn’t get two best French speaking options of last three years griezman and hazard … The strike options he has brought from ligue 1 have been average or worse ….so those two With Alexis that would be my kind of front line … Won’t happen I know…but why not draxler benzema Alexis ? Giroud and ox as alternates … Sell Walcott and welbeck total net cost about 40m get bender or the pole as DM …65m spent that’s a third of what Harris said was available …. Gabriel for mert

            Bellerin gab kos Monreal
            Bender
            Ozil santi
            Alexis benzema draxler

    1. maybe after nxt week ,,,,u will say we still have another window coming.

      now that is someone who is not serious in life.

      if u want to do something,,,,u do it now.

      1. doesn’t look like u r seated muff……. U are on just abt every thread on ere……. Preambulating! L()L

  6. Nowhere does he say top strikers are not available. He says there is a shortage and confirms he would only buy if a player was better than what we have.

    Just a very vaguely diplomatic interview by Arsene, I’m just waiting for him to say he does not know who Benzema and Cavani are…

    Storm in a tea cup.

    1. And a completely false as shit statement also.

      Wellbeck – knowone better in the world
      Artetafact- knowone better in the world
      Flamini- knowone better in the world
      Per- knowone better in the world
      Giroud – knowone better in the world
      Walcott – knowone better in the world

      Nonsensical blah blah as always that perpetuates his outmoded and financially restricted ideas.

  7. Wish we’d bought Suarez a couple seasons ago. We may not have held onto him, but if we’d had him that season, we’d have won the title comfortably. We led for ages and only finished 7pts off in the end don’t forget. If a wc goalkeeper is worth 10-15 pts, what is a striker like suarez worth? Oh well…

    Just a point though. Who was Aguero before he moved to Man City? A very promising talent, but not recognised world class. Who was Suarez before he joined Liverpool? Not really that well known. We have to start buying these players before they reach that level. We’ve done it before. I would’ve liked us to get that Vietto kid that Atletico bought. He looks as if he’ll be quality in a couple years. Less than £20m now…

    1. You are absolutely right Mick if Wenger had stepped up and acquired Suarez nothing would have stopped us from lifting the EPL trophy that season. But Wenger, true to type felt it was a waste of funds, today Suarez is the deadliest top striker in the world and with him Barca won the treble with ease last season. I keep on saying it Wenger has lost what it takes to make those critical decisions in the transfer market that can turn us from perennial title contenders to actual champions. Now Wenger has even equally lost that knack of sighting and snapping up those players who are about to become the next big thing. Diego Simeone has long taking over that role from him in club football.

      1. Our scouts are probably too busy learning how to tigh knots instead of identyfying the best talent in the world of football!

        #Misundertanding

    2. vietto was on my wish list too…but draxler is as well and unless his injury is life threatening the kid is already proven with a real quality future ahead of him …. forgot we have ramsey and welbeck who can play down the wings so no need really…the guy is fast becoming a parody of himself

    3. I actually wrote here or in other sites just those names when they were at Aleti and Ajax.
      Wenger didnt read me 🙁

  8. People forget it was the rise od Pedro at Barcelona which forced Thierry Henry on the bench diring gis last season and the rise of Pedro is what prompted Barca’s president to sell Thierry with a year left on his contract.

    Any player who could do this to Thierry had to be good and worth buying and there’s Van Gaal saying he never wanted to sign Pedro. Yeah right.

    1. Pedro played pretty much just the same amount of minutes as Alexis Sanchez did at Barca when they were both there together. Pedro is quality, but I don’t think he’s better than Alexis.

    2. as far as i remember henry had to play on the wings. didnt he?
      pedro just suited their style of play more than henry.
      but hes not half as good as the king.

  9. Wenger keeps making this statement every transfer window and yet at the end every window quality players get tranfered from their old clubs to new ones. Pls is Wenger implying that other clubs have some special magical spell they use to acquire quality players that Wenger doesn’t? Please Wenger gimme a break! Just say you hate the turn acquiring players have taken in present day football and how you hate to spend money to be competitive! Wake up man or leave!

  10. Giroud isn’t bad and adding Benzema wouldn’t be bad either…. just here for the comments though! #COYG

  11. Think most here would agree that current roster has a real challenge to win the league. It’s possible, but by no means a favorite to win that silverware.

    Champions League completely different story. Anyone believe current squad can win? How about advance to semi or quarter finals?

    I care less about transfer possibilities and more about expectations. 3rd and 4th place isn’t enough anymore. Arsenal will have tough job being 3rd or 4th best at yrs end.

    Imagine Sanchez, Santi, Kos or Coq injuries for extended period. Losing any 2 of those and league title over, possibly 3rd or 4th place in jeopardy.
    There is depth, but little true competition. Ramsey/Santi, Bellerin/Debucy, maybe Per/Gabriel is all. Like to see players fighting for spots, and see Arsene fighting for his for a change.
    Bring on the thumbs down, got plenty of beer to soften the criticism.

  12. Ok so I have read quite a lot of comments on this and other articles about how Wenger is letting us down by not signing a big name striker, often including the name benzema or cavani. Which I get, we are now out of the debt and should be able to spend big money and get a striker, but I also understand sometimes there is just no deal to be done.

    Benzema is tied down with a contract with a manager who clearly values him in the biggest club in the world. The only party that wants that transfer is arsenal, not real, not rafa, and not Karim… So lets move on.

    Cavani. I like cavani, he has a few question marks about him, sure, but he is a good goal scorer and would probably sell crazy number of shirts. But again psg won’t sell, at least not for more than 50 mill…. For cavani…. It just stinks of falcao….

    The other name is cavanis strike partner ibrahimovic… But I just cant see that working, not that I don’t rate him he just seems to have an attitude of being bigger than the club. Which to be fair when considering his career is fair, but his career is now winding down….

    After that the names drop in reputation, lacazette keeps popping up after his goals last season, a feat Tha giroud matches yet still gets shit here so I think wenger has a right to Vito that deal.
    It seems to me that Wenger is scared of getting burned again, after our star striker and tope scorers have left in the past
    I get it. I want a new henry. A new bergkamp. An Iain Wright. But there just isn’t a realistic option that difinitively improves upon giroud. Also any signing there will hamper the progress of both titi akpom and welbz.

    Sorry I know about the typos on a phone.

  13. At the end of the day I think strikers are very hard to make move atm. That said, it doesn’t excuse the fact we have NO left wingers, NO good cover at DM and have added no quality in the outfield from last year. Don’t get me wrong, I really like our current squad, but I think our starting 11 still has problems and it only takes a couple of key players missing at the same time and we start looking very average. 1 more star player in the offense would be great, 1 more player in the defense would be great for cover. I think we’ve got enough to do well this year, but we have weakness we could be improving.

    Though I have not watched Draxler just the fact he is a LW makes me want him. Can we not have 2 wingers and options to switch them so that they can come inside OR go outside? Please?

  14. He’s trolling the press!
    I have a feeling the Benzema deal is all tied up subject to Reus going to RM.
    We do need a DM signing as well thiough.

  15. I am really not that fussed about Benzema. Yes he would be better than what we have, but he is no where near as good as TH14 or van Traitor. He is also a fool to be hanging around at Real Madrid. He will never achieve top class status while he is in the shadow of Ronaldo and Bale, and will always be looked on as never having quite made it, like Suarez, Messi, Ronaldo, Ibrahimovich et al have done. He is at or slightly over his peak now, and should he wish to stamp his mark on the footballing world he has to make his move now, or maybe he is happy with being 2nd tier. Cavani is another one who is in a similar situation, although with the rumours going around that Ibrahimovich might be leaving, that gives him a chance to sparkle again.

  16. I swear every time Wenger speaks like this i feel like punching his pathetic face…..Trump,putin,mugabe,kroenke…..wenger is up there with the guys I hate the most….How does a manager talk about other clubs’ transfers and he has signed sh*t all?

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