Arsene Wenger has spoken publically for the first time this summer about Arsenal’s movement in the transfer window but stressed that he would not be drawn into talking in depth about potential targets.
Admitting that Ivorian international Gervinho was close to completing a move from Lille, the Frenchman told Arsenal.com that he was still aiming to bring in one or two ‘top quality’ players; a statement which seems to go against an assessment made at the end of last term when he hinted at being ‘very active’ in the transfer market.
“We are working very hard on it. For me, the best thing is not to talk too much about it. The more you speak about things, the less chance you have to achieve them. The only thing that I can promise you is that we will work very hard and we have had some long nights to achieve what we want to achieve.
“I can understand [the impatience among the fans]. Believe me, I know all the clubs in the world and everybody needs the same players for the same positions.
“If there were an obvious choice, people would have already made their decisions. We are at the top level and therefore need exceptional quality to strengthen our side. I can understand that people say ‘you have money, just go out and buy’. But it’s not only that, we want to find the quality we need.
“I have said many times that we were very close to winning things last season, despite the disappointment we had at the end. I hope that provokes a response from my players. We were so close this time we want to come back and achieve it.
“My responsibility is first of all not to lose players and then to add and make us stronger. Let’s hope we can bring in one or two more additions of top quality.”
Despite a plethora of names being linked with a move to the Emirates, many of the backpage headlines in recent weeks have focused on speculation linking current Arsenal squad members with exits. While Gael Clichy has already completed a deal with Manchester City, Wenger stressed that he would not be willing to give up Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas without a fight. For more, click here.
How many???
We’ve seen the players’ response. We don’t like it at all.
One or two???? Is he joking????
Is that the same one or two “top top quality” players we were assured of in 2008 or 09 I think when we signed the likes of Silvestre. I am amazed that Wenger is allowed to continue to lie and deceive so openly after so many empty words and broken assertions. We’re not at the top level Wenger, we’re at 4th. So to try and convince people that replacing the likes of Denilson, Squillaci, Eboue and Almunia requires us to sign from the top percentile of world football is an insult to the collective intelligence of the fans which isn’t… Read more »
“Let’s hope we can bring in one or two more additions of top quality.” We don’t want a hope to get things done Arsene, we want you to guarantee that experience will be brought into the squad or else this upcoming campaign will end like the recent ones.
For three years our squad has been obviously “short”. These comments, after we’ve renewed our season tickets of course, are just getting so god damn boring. So listen Arsene, it’s simple. In your own words at the end of last season (and the 2 before that) we needed to add to our squad, a squad that promised much but delivered little…. To mount a serious challenge we need a couple more “quality” additions; we all know where. On top of that we need to replace any players who leave (Clichy has gone, the likes of Denilson and NB52 will surely… Read more »
Wenger; continuing to test the patience of the fans.
Even with the faith I have in him, this rhetoric is becoming increasingly tiresome.
I KNOW THIS FELLOW IZ CRAZY, WE NEED TO GET HIM OUT BEFORE HE FUCK THIS NEW SEASON UP
A well thought out, reasoned argument there
same old same old rubbish. one or two? that means the likes of denilson and the world’s greatest striker can’t be shifted. no doubt they will be like new signings. i honestly think the man is showing the first signs of alzheimers.
Worrying about the 1 or 2 player thing too but hell if he kept cesc and nasri and bought benzema, mata as well as Gervinho then we can do with out new defenders and just go 2-4-4 Keegan style
THE FANS NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO LET WENGER KNOWS HE’S FUCKING WITH OUR FEELINGS
YER LETS GO EGG HIS CAR.
EJIT
Gervinho and then one or two more? One better be a fucking centre back!
Patience.
Fuck patience. All of us have patient for six years.
The clearest evidence yet that he needs psychiatric help.
is every1 against the notion of having verm, djourou + kos as back up and promoting the spanish kid to battle it out wit squil ? i dnt think that is a bad set-up tbh . 2 top quality signings would b perfect ; top class striker (benzima) + clichy replacement, our squad is far from being in trouble. djourou and verm are world class how are gooners forgetting this (djourou went somethin like 36 games unbeaten giv him som credit ) i think rvp should take over the captaincy nxt season havin cesc as captain is way to damaging… Read more »
Agreed. Vermaelen, Djourou and Kos are better than any of the other CBs we’re being linked with. Aside from an experienced left back, Wenger needs to fix the defensive system, not the players IMO.
First of all I really hope that number would change if Cesc and/or Nasri leave…otherwise its going to be a very long season. Otherwise its more of the same, deja vu all over again. Every summer Wenger claims he is out to find one or two quality players – which most of the time means one unproven French player. How can Wenger say we will be “very active,” sign no one for 2 months (my apologies to Leeroy Jenkins and barca’s negotiating chip Hector Bellerin, but they weren’t the sort of quality signings we fans were looking for), and then… Read more »
1 or 2!!!!!! Arrrrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!
As a diehard and life long arsenal fan, I find it extremely upsetting and frustrating to hear that Wenger is only thinking about signing one or two players. His blind faith in his own philsophphy’s on how football should be played is affecting his judgement and it obvious that he refuses to accept that some of his players are simply are not good enough to play at the highest level. The likes of vela, Denilson, and Squillaci are prime examples! We don’t just want him to spend money for the hell of it, we want him spend it because he… Read more »
1 or 2 players WITHOUT talking about replacements. 1 or 2 if noone leaves, but denilson, bendtner, and probably cesc will leave so read that as 4 or 5 players coming in
A STFU you retarded AKb cunt!
Where have I heard this before?! Super super world class signing like Rick James signing for us……benzenma,de Rossi,Mata,chilling there world class,sorry bout spelling on me phone
Is this a joke? “one or two ‘top quality’ players”! We need four or five top quality players. Right now we have 7 defenders and 4 of them are Koscielny, Squillaci, Traore and Gibbs. So we have 3 defenders that can play in the EPL (I still have my doubts about Djourou so it might just be 2). We have 14 midfielders!! Of those there is only 6 whit EPL class. The rest is just squad fillers on HUGE wages so no one else wants them, and some teenagers without any experience. We have 5 strikers and that is the… Read more »
I don’t know why you’re all getting your knickers in a twist, 2 more players is more than enough, too many if anything. The squad needs trimming, flog Cesc, Van Persie and that Wilshere lad (he’ll never make it anyway) thus allowing Denilson, Bendtner and Vela to blossom…..
Door opens and Nurse walks in……
NURSE- ‘now Mr Corporal are you having one of your turns? you haven’t been taking your medicine have you! Hold him down please he can get quite violent. Syringe, quickly! Now, you might feel a small prick’.
very nice corps… i thought yu’d lost ya head for a minute…
Here we go again.There are too many players in the current Arseanl squad that have had plenty of time to show their worth and not delivered- Almunia.Eboue,Squillaci,Denilson,Rosicky,Arshavin,Bendtner,Vela.Please Wenger move them on,even if we have to cut their prices.Bendtner priced at £12 million? I mean come on,who is going to pay that kinda money? Wenger needs to rewind back to when he 1st came to Arsenal and look at the squad then particularly in Defence.We had a strong English defence that knew the Premiership and was prepared to get stuck in on a cold winters day. I cannot blame Cesc and… Read more »
For once I really don’t want to take Wenger at his word. “… one or two” simply isn’t going to work. First we need a quality left back to replace Clichy. Gibbs isn’t that player on two counts. One, he’s not as good as Clichy. And two, he’s injury prone and cannot be counted to remain healthy. If we don’t replace Clichy from outside the club what are our options? Traore? Botelho? Vermaelen? We also need to have at least one Premier League style quality centreback. I have no problem with Vermaelen and Koscielny teamed up in Europe. It’s not… Read more »
What a bunch of clowns arsenal supporters have become. This is GOOD news.
Stop embarassing me.
i know where a joker like you wants limpar to stick his wand.
Shove the wand up your arse, you muppet. Maybe you can’t see what’s happening to the club but we can. Wenger has completely lost it.
Problem with many of the people screaming for major overhaul of the squad is they are playing too much fantasy football on one or other of the play station games – Arsenal are within a whisker of being great and tweaking (with the proviso of no major departures) is what is required along with one or two of the youngsters coming through. Wenger is right – everybody is looking for talent and at the top the type of players required are scarce. Thowing money at the problem is not the answer – Viera, Henry, Wilshire, Fabergas, some of the greatest… Read more »
I would say this is only tactics, if wenger admits hes desperate to sign players the price would only go up, and we all know how wenger fells about thay!!
While I love arsenal as much and if not more than all you guys above, I think you need to calm down.
Enjoy the summer, relax and try to forget about arsenal for a few weeks.
Some of the comments on here do peace alot to be desired, wenger is the manager, not us, he knows where he needs to strengthen. & he knows who he wants, but Wil not be drawn on who they are because if he does, clubs with no scouting system like the 2 mancs & Chelski Wil try to out bid us for them. vermaelen WAS out for nearly all of last season, cesc was not his usually high standard, van persie was injured for a lonetime, so take them out of any TEAM and they’d struggle, the “arsenal fans” on… Read more »
Only buying good players early could have avoided having to fight to keep them. Fab wants to go home, you can see it in his body language . you will only serve to get Fab to hate you if you stop him from going home to his family. you really don’t think of others but yourself. He has served 8 years here. Your time is up Sir. I so hope that is does not come to seeing protests at the games next season if you have not kept your promise and sign some defenders, and because you are leaving it… Read more »
Don’t believe the hype.
8 weeks have passed since the end of the season & whilst the Champions have concluded 3 major signings & expressed desire to buy one of our star players, we have done nothing bar of course the usual ‘kid’ signings ! Instead of seeing the signing of the type of players clearly needed, Arsenal fans have had to endure stories of the impending departure of several star names ! ……… DISGRACEFUL !! Whilst that goes on there is NOT one impending departure from the deadwood. The following players ….. Bendtner / Eboue / Arshavin / Denilson / Almunia / Fabianski… Read more »
“..the Champions have concluded 3 major signings..”
David De Gea, Ashley Young & Phil Jones…..
If you consider them to be MAJOR then you should be over the moon at our signings…
I won’t be surprise if d emirates stadium is empty by d start of new season, cos we d fans are angry.wenger must do sometin or be pay off.
goodness me this is a depressing article, we need more than “one or two players” signed this summer for fuck’s sake
“I have said many times that we were very close to winning things last season, despite the disappointment we had at the end. I hope that provokes a response from my players.”
Yeah good luck with that one Arsene. Nice to see the 6.5% rise in season tickets being put to good use too.
I said in May that come early July when the dust has settled he would come out with his usual drivel of one and two.How come people havnt realized that Wenger is not interested in the fans point of view.He is in it to make money and nothing else,the so called dead wood will have to be relied on for one more season but the good thing is that when this latest rabble fails Mr.Clouseau will be leaving too.
Wake up people with the current board and Manager we are not gonna compete for trophies we are competing for that elusive fourth spot.And how the hell does he think he can keep Fab and Nasri with a statement of one and two,do anyone really believe that Fab and nasri is prepared for another season of Deckchair Denilson and Abou babou.
WHY IS EVERYBODY YELLING?!!!!!!
& kipmonster needs to get his own blog…jeeez
@ RocCityGunner ……………… It’s frustation & anger boiling over ! My post was a large chunk of the text of a letter I am sending to Wenger & the club. I sent a letter at end of January, furious at Wenger’s short sighted stubborness not to buy a cenre back in Jan transfer window. I sent it before Newcastle fiasco & got a reply before Barca 2nd leg & Carling Cup final stating the club’s optimism at . still being in 4 competitions. The expected collapse followed though even I didn’t think it would be as spectacular as it was.… Read more »
This is Wenger’s year to show his intent. If he fails to really bring silverware, some serious signings, or even really improve the club, I think he’s out on his ass next summer.
As for signings, we’re likely to add Gervinho, that Chamberlain kid, and possibly one more player that would be a first-team addition. It should be Cahill. Bolton need forwards, we have too many we don’t use… Vela, Bendtner, etc.
When the deluded wenger leaved I hope all his blinded followers jump ship with him. We were a club before he car along. And a pretty decent one at that!
“We are at the top level and therefore need exceptional quality to strengthen our side. ”
The man is deluded. Replacing Denilson, Squillaci and Rosicky with a pack of cockerspaniels would strengthen this side
He is indeed deluded and it is the job of Gazidis to make him do the right thing despite being bonkers. The team is made in his image – not right in the head. Never mind footballing ability we need to get rid of the players who have no fight in them. I am not convinced by the cockerspaniel idea, bulldogs are what we need. Maybe a couple of terriers in midfield.
clubs are already signing 1 or 2 players why are we still in cruise mode? gervinho medical was last week yet theres no comfirmation? teams are already announcing their new signings within 48hrs of medical test.
Arsene says they have ‘long nights’ trying to find the right players to add to the squad, but from the perspective of the fans it seems you naturally make it hard on yourselves in the transfer market.
Arsenal’s season collapsed and finished 4th, Wenger wants 1 or 2. Utd won the league and got to the champions league final (albeit humiliated) and they’ve already bought 3!
Let me start by saying kipmonster is absolutely right in every word he has wrote. I like him could really go in on this article, bit I’m not going to. All I’m going to say is as much as it would hurt because we all really do love arsenal as we can clearly see by the passion in the comments being made, all that needs to be done is nobody turns up at the emirates stadium next season. I’m seriously considering trying to put this idea into action, if we don’t get what we want ( to be competing with… Read more »
FFS Arsène!!
TWO?! Even if these two happened to be Baresi & Maldini in their prime, we’d still be defensive central MF short.
My opinion of Wenger is waning by the minute…….
I understand why everyone’s so angry, but let’s just get some perspective for a minute. Wenger could’ve picked his words better, saying “one or two” players was stupid considering how the fans are feeling. It was bound to be met with an angry reaction. But – you’d be a lot more pissed off if he’d said “we have 5 or 6 transfers lined up”, only for the deals to fall through at the last minute. Let’s hope this is actually a PR masterstroke from Wenger, rather than a complete disaster – and that he really has some great signings lined… Read more »
@paddymac. The truth of the matter is Mr Wenger has been lying to us for a significant number of years now and the fans are fed up. It was only 6-8 weeks ago we were told it’s going to be a busy summer, now he’s saying “one or two”. It’s as simple as this, if you have a mini cooper you cannot race with a lamborghini and a bugatti and expect to even keep up nevermind win the race. Why are we not going for Neymar, Ageuro, or Sanchez? Those are “quality signings” not the likes of gervinho. In the… Read more »
lol wenger isnt planning to fix our defence. hes buying 1 or 2 more strikers and midfield
I’m with you to some extent, although I don’t necessarily agree that he’s been “lying to us for a significant number of years”. What exactly has he lied about? Alright – we hear the same spiel again and again from the boss, and that’s annoying as hell, but I don’t feel that he’s been dishonest. Thing is, we’re not a Man City or a Chelski – we can’t sign 3 or 4 players at £30m each, we just don’t have the funds. I know it’s frustrating and we all have the right to air our views, but we have to… Read more »
Sorry that was a reply to Chamron not Agent Marlboro
PS – the mini/lamborghini analogy makes no sense whatsoever. Would you describe Man Utd as a Lamborghini and us as a Mini? The difference between the teams last season was mental spirit and experience, not class.