I’m not scared to spend, says Arsenal boss Wenger
Tuesday, 23rd December 2014
Arsene Wenger: ‘I’ve said that I’m willing to spend many times, without any doubt, if we find the right player we will do a deal’
Published: 23 December, 2014
by STEVE BARNETT
WITH Arsenal fans begging for a new defender this Christmas, manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that he won’t be “scared to spend” during the January transfer window – providing the right players are available.
Right-back Mathieu Debuchy is expected to fill in for the injured Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the defence yet again on Boxing Day when QPR visit the Emirates Stadium, in a role that has also been covered by left-back Nacho Monreal this season.
It’s that lack of defensive cover, especially at centre-back, that has seen some frustrated fans turn on Wenger this season, holding up banners telling the Arsenal manager that it’s time to go. But the Frenchman says his past reluctance to spend is based on the club’s finances and is not a personal choice.
“I’ve said that I’m willing to spend many times, without any doubt, if we find the right player we will do a deal,” he said. “There’s a huge difference between the perceptions that people have of me – I’m not scared to spend.
“Those periods we did not spend, we did not have the money. What I don’t like is to spend money we haven’t got.
“What I fought against is to spend money that would put the future of the club in danger,” Wenger added. “Now I have money, there’s no problem at all.”
No sooner had those words left Wenger’s lips, the transfer rumour mill exploded with possible targets.
Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko, who has reportedly admitted that Arsenal was his “favourite club” when he was growing up, is seen as the ideal choice to add a bit more steel to the Gunners’ midfield.
Another Frenchman, Lyon midfielder Nabil Fekir, is also said to be on Wenger’s radar.
Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets, Real Madrid left-back Fábio Coentrão, and Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin, also rumoured to be a target for Tottenham, are also among the names being linked with a move to the Emirates.
