As usual, the Arsenal fans are left pretty much in the dark about whether there will be any more transfer business completed before the transfer window closes. Arsene Wenger is doing his regular job of denying everything and trying not to give even the merest hint of his intentions.
The Frenchman was asked a few questions about his transfer plans today, in the pre match press conference reported on the Arsenal website, and once again he spoke about the difficulty of finding the right players available for transfer. He also suggested that there is no need to panic and rush into a signing just because of the one bad result we suffered last weekend.
Wenger said, “We are as open after that bad result as we were before. We were working very hard and we are focused to do what can strengthen our squad. The availability is not big. It is Friday today and we play on Sunday so it is important that we focus on our performance on Sunday.
“When you lose a game you always get that kind of demand, we have to be honest enough and ask, ‘Could we have won the game without any addition?’ and I would say yes. Always the solution comes from outside, lets look inside at ourselves and produce the performance that is expected of us. I think that would be much more intelligent than always expecting a miracle from outside.
“Look it is exactly the same situation as before the West Ham game. If we find somebody anywhere who strengthens our squad then we will do it. It is not easy, it is not supermarket stuff where you go in and say, ‘I would like this, please can you give it to me.’ The availability is not easy.”
But Arsenal do have plenty of money and are an attractive option for most players, so Wenger is being a bit too simplistic I feel. And while I do agree that we should not panic after one game, we have also been hit this week by the news that Tomas Rosicky has had surgery and will be out of action for months. With Wilshere also out, that does leave Arsenal a little short in that creative area.
And with this possibly being the midfielder´s last year as a Gunner, does this injury blow not constitute an emergency and one we can do something about? Do you think we need to sign a replacement? And if so, will Wenger agree?