Arsenal: Arsene Wenger marvels at Manchester United and says Sterling only left Liverpool for the money
Transfer Balls: A look at today’s Arsenal reporting.
The Times says Arsene Wenger “will only bring in exceptional signing for Arsenal”.
This becomes a “strong hint that the FA Cup winners will not sign any more players during the remainder of the transfer window”.
A bluff?
Wenger is quoted:
“I don’t close the door if we find any player who can strengthen the squad, but we have already strengthened the squad. I believe part of the success of the squad is also the level of cohesion. We have a good level of cohesion. What is important for myself and the squad is to see how we can carry on and move forward again. We felt at the end of last season that we had moved forward, but it is still not enough. In this preseason we have to move forward again. We have to move forward together, which for me it is more important than dreaming about finding a miraculous player who wins you everything. I believe we have the quality, and it’s now about how much we can be stronger together.”
Football remains a team game. But top players can make the team play better.
What about Raheem Sterling, then? did Wenger bid for him? He says:
“It looked a done deal for a while because Sterling was adamant he wanted the move. For me Sterling is a top-class player. It is a good buy for Manchester City. It is an expensive one but they can afford it.
“Personally I like Raheem Sterling. We never considered it because he plays in an area where we have plenty of players. We have Walcott, Chamberlain, Sánchez, Wilshere who can play wide, Gnabry, so we have plenty of players. He’s a wide player basically, or behind the striker.”
He then nails it:
“I don’t think it is a surprise because they go to the clubs where the money is.”
Which brings us to Manchester United, who have waved goodbye to former Arsenal skipper Robin Van Persie. The player who shone brightly in patches heads off for the massive money in Turkish football, just as he left Arsenal for huge money at Manchester United. He leaves behind a team in a state of flux.
Wenger has a word on United’s new recruits:
“We knew Manchester United would not be happy to finish outside the top three and that they would respond. They have made interesting buys. They came out of the season thinking they had to replace their midfield and they did it by buying two important players – Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin.
“They are two top-class players, one who goes up to the top level and one who has done it all. So it will be interesting to see how they mix with the others.”
Wenger continues to stress the importance of the team. Fans love a big name. But they also love a rising super star. Arsenal have plenty of them, but whether they have the money to keep them remains to be seen…
Posted: 14th, July 2015 | In: Arsenal, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
