Arsene Wenger has admitted that he would like to bring in
reinforcements in the January transfer window to bolster his
Arsenal side's faltering title challenge but does not know the club
will make the necessary cash available.
Empics
Arsene Wenger: Wants reinforcements
A late goal from William Gallas scraped a 1-0 win for the
Gunners against Portsmouth on Sunday to keep their faint title
hopes alive, however they still trail Premier League leaders
Liverpool by 10 points.
Wenger knows his side must improve in the second half of the
season but is hamstrung by long-term injuries which rule out Cesc
Fabregas, Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott.
''I want a creative midfielder,'' he told Canal+. ''That is to
say a second midfielder, because my team is right in terms of
manpower and experience.
''[But] I can't spend money I don't have. The [global financial]
crisis is upon us and we feel it at the club.''
One player Arsenal have been linked with is Zenit St Petersburg
playmaker Andrei Arshavin. However, Wenger refused to confirm he is
chasing the Russia forward. ''There's no point in giving me
names,'' he added.
Meanwhile, Wenger wants his controversial former captain Gallas
to carry on scoring in the Arsenal cause.
Gallas, who was stripped of the captaincy after several
flashpoints during his tenure, scored the late header that secured
all three points for Arsenal in the win over Pompey.
There were rumours Wenger would try to offload Gallas but Wenger
has insisted he does not want to sell any players in the January
transfer window, which opens on Thursday.
Wenger said: ''He answers everybody by his performance on the
pitch and that's what you do when you are a great player. He
started as a striker and looks most likely to score at set-pieces.
He has good timing to attack the ball.''
