Less than three weeks into the season and the Gunners are
already feeling the pinch amid a rocky, injury-ridden start.
Influential midfielders Mathieu Flamini and Aliaksandr Hleb have
left the club, while Spanish superstar Cesc Fabregas tops an injury
list as long as Liverpool's title drought.
Last weekend's loss to Fulham sent warning sparks flying around
North London, and many have called for Wenger to spend big on
quality reinforcements.
But the Frenchman dismissed the notion that parting with large
amounts of cash would instantly solve all the club's on-field
problems.
He said in The Sun: “I hate the idea that, whenever we
have a bad game, the solution is to go out and buy. I don’t know
why we’re always under pressure to buy £30million or £40m
players.
“I am not impressed by big names. I am only impressed by attitude
and quality. All the rest is just hype.
“So if Chelsea buy Robinho, frankly, what can we do about it? The
answer is not to look at what Chelsea, Manchester United or
Liverpool are doing.
“I’m not interested in comparing names. I focus on my own players,
not the other teams. The squad we have has enough quality and
strength to win the Champions League.”
But despite the former Monaco manager's assurances to the contrary,
there is no doubt that his team looks rather light through the
middle of the park.
The departures of Gilberto Silva and Flamini earlier in the summer,
and of Lassana Diarra in January, have left the likes of Denilson
and Abou Diaby - youngsters both - to pick up the slack in central
midfield.
Hence, a host of seasoned stars, such as Xabi Alonso and Gareth
Barry, have been linked with a move to the Emirates to take up the
role as Fabregas' anchor.
And while Wenger confessed he is on the lookout for another
signing, he reiterated that expense does not guarantee
quality.
“If I can find one more player before the transfer deadline, I will
take him. But one more player will not make that much difference,”
he continued.
“A good player is not necessarily linked with the price. It is
getting harder to buy the right players but the market is still
there.
“At the moment, we are struggling to find the right player.
"If we don’t get him, we’re still strong enough to deal with all
the competitions.”