Arsene Wenger has spoken for the first time about new boy Danny Welbeck revealing he signed the striker from Manchester United without hesitation.
Signed for £16 million on transfer deadline day, Welbeck has yet to train with his new teammates due to the Interlull although he’s widely tipped to start up front against Manchester City after netting a brace for England against Switzerland on Tuesday evening.
Speaking to press ahead of Saturday’s clash the boss said of the decision to sign the 23-year-old: “It was quick because it was the last day of the transfer window but I had no hesitation to do it.
“Danny Welbeck is young and I feel he can improve his career here. He is quick and is a great finisher. His best position is through the middle. He is happy and confident.
“I cannot tell you if he’ll start [against City] but it’s a possibility. I have to assess the squad.”
As has been well-documented, Wenger spent transfer deadline day in Rome hobnobbing with the Pope about ‘world peace’ but he confirmed he was available all day for updates on negotiations.
“I will tell you the story one day,” he joked, before cryptically adding, “If I stayed at my home, Welbeck would not be here…that is the truth.”
The boss also revealed he’d have been happy signing Welbeck on loan with an option to buy, before stressing that he was equally happy taking the attacker off United permanently.
Arseblog News is relieved the boss finally ‘broke his silence’ regarding the transfer although it sounds as though there’s a fair bit that went on that we still don’t know about.
We’re also a tad disappointed he avoided any Baudelaire-inspired philosophising today.
___
Picture courtesy of Arsenal.com, quotes via @Arsenal, @JamesOlley & @JWTelegraph.
I take that cryptic comment to mean that United wouldn’t have done business with Wenger directly? Maybe why Arsenal used an agency? If not, care to clarify anyone?
Or if he had been in London then another transfer(s) may have happened, shutting out the Welbeck deal.
I think the suggestion (as mooted by Gunnerblog) is that travelling and being in Rome actually left Wenger free to do the deal. More free from distraction than he might have been had he been at the training ground.
Or maybe The Pope put in a word of recommendation for the deal to go through. the Pope after all is god’s representative on earth and wields unimaginable power and wealth.
Little bit divine intervention? I don’t know.
Now now! Who would down-thumb this comment? Probably one of those Argentines who still insist Diego is god!!
Why wouldn’t Dennis just tell Welbeck himself?
Praise be unto him
‘eerrr.. I believe eerrr that the errr… Pope.. he has errr.. great qualities’
I think he meant he wouldn’t have signed welbeck if he was at home.
Lol.
But it could be true.
Seriously..? Alternate reality Wenger in London Colney – Ok so need a striker.. Hmm Danny Welbeck is available… affordable and pretty damn good… but look steve bould has left all those cones lying around and ryo miyachi wont loan himself… i might pop over to see how tall per is and if i have time i might sign a centre back and central midfielder. Maybe its because he just happened to be traveling with the third party agent who was able to broker the deal with Welbeck’s brother and wenger was able to have direct influence over the negotiations and… Read more »
Arsene! Take out the trash. Arsene, mow the bloody lawn. Arsene, please switch off those televisions, do you have to watch four football matches at the same time? Arsene take you feet off the couch, Arsene! put the toilet seat down when you’ve finished talking to Jose Mourinho. Arsene, Arsene, Arsene.
Too many distractions at home.
Go Danny Go!
Up the Arsenal
Wenger revealed more a little later in the interview, “The advantage of that day was that I had to wake up at 6 o’clock in the morning, and I was available the whole day.”
So, what he meant was, if he didn’t have to travel that day, he wouldn’t have gotten the news about Welbeck’s availability so early to act upon it.
Wenger wanted to be dramatic (perhaps to build interest in the book he would eventually write), but he made a hash of it 🙂
Wierd
he bought Welbeck from the pope?
blimey
hmmm.. are we going to have to change the song about going to Rome to see the Pope?
“And this is what he said…. would you like to buy Welbeck on a 5 year?”
Maybe the Pope put a good word in.
THE Good Word in, perhaps.
Nvm, fail. Was thinking of The Good News. Maybe next time
Would prefer he said something about our injury list too.
Headline should have added “according to Gazidis”.
Only one thing to deduce from that, Welbeck has the Pope as his agent!
The Pope spoke personally to Danny & have hos blessings!!
Re my previous post, I hit “submit” too early, so the whole string of faces winking, sticking tongue out, smiling and all such gestures indicating I was joking couldn’t be added. I’m not part of any loony group suggesting it was done without Wenger.
So Welbz is Stan’s Boy!
United just got Poped by Wenger.
Oh Arsene, you say it best, without actually saying anything at all.
Wouldn’t happened if Sir Red Nose still in charge, Manure lost is our gain, he is quick n skillful, could be the next Ian Wright Wright Wright.
Maybe Alex Ferguson had something to do with it, I know they had big manager meeting but not sure if it was before or after signing Welbeck . Fergie owns Wenger big time for letting him have Van Persie .
That’s an unfortunate typo, but I like your idea about the managers meeting.
I’m convinced Arsene was looking to loan him and somebody else made the decision to buy him outright. Either way we have a great player at a fantastic price and one that if played through the middle and given time could lead us to a title challenge.
What’s the basis for your conviction? Sounds a bit arbitrary. The only candidate evidence I’ve seen about how the signing relates to the trip is Arsene’s statement about being available earlier in the day than otherwise.
Damn, disappointed with the absence of any photoshop on that one Blogs.
This feels almost like a Dan Brown episode; Go to Rome, weird stuff happens, go back and voilá: The Treble.
Excellent.
*its fuckin excellent
Who plays the self harming albino?
the vicious thug who works for a dangerous cult?
For Opus Dei read Stamford Bridge and for self-harming albino, the special one…
Jonjo Shelvey.
Naismith?
Rooney obviously.
Hello!
Shawcross. Never forget.
If Wenger starts Sanogo against City, he should be taken to the hospital for a catscan. Dementia may have started to set in.
I bet if Sanogo starts, he scores. I’m a risk taker but I still think that would be the case. I’s start Welbeck but whoever starts I’d most likely swap them soon after the 2nd half begins depending on performance.
We got this, though!
If we are steady at the back, dominate in midfield like we should (Liverpool did that for a while) we definitely got this!
I will bet if Sanogo starts, he will trip over his feet or shoot into the shins of the nearest defender. If he can’t score against Leicester, you actually think that he is going to score against the defending Champions? Jesus wept….
You think it makes much difference? He still has the pace and physicality to get into those positions against City, so he’s as likely to start scoring against them as he was against Leicester.
In fact, I believe it’s almost as likely that he’ll score against Leicester as agaisnt Man City.
I was going to thumb down….but the comment was too funny! catscan haha
In the unlikely event that he starts Sanogo instead of Welbeck, there will be a reason for it.
Maybe DB carrying a knock from tuesday and don’t want to risk him for full game…. or some other reason.
There is simply no good reason whatsoever for starting Sanogo against the champions. If danny is not fit we are better playing Alexis in the middle supported by any combination of ox/rosicky/Campbell/Podolski on the wings. This is not the kinda game where you hope sanogo will somehow break his duck and whats more, Sanogo himself specifically mentioned his tough it is to play against Kompany, and you expect him to score??? Jeez!
Much as Alexis is awesome, he’s not really a PL CF and IMO he’d probably be more effective if he moved to CF after the city defence had been run around and thumped a bit by someone like Sanogo first. Lets hope DW is fit.
The deal wouldn’t get done if he stayed home?
Phone off, munching Weetabix and watching Jeremy Kyle, me thinks.
Perhaps a discussion with Fergie, or was Woodward in Rome on deadline day?
Smoke and Mirrors stuff. £16m is a stunning price though, the most he could ever devalue being English is to around £12m but a couple of good seasons he could easily treble.
I dont believe for a second we would have loaned him and potentially added value to a Utd asset.
“he comes from the pope, he comes from the pooooooope, giving us hope, danny the dope”
No need to say something just because it rhymes.
Where the bloody hell has rambling pete gone? I miss your comments.. these lot are boring. #findramblingpete
Maybe he’s gone rambling.
I was asking myself the same question yesterday. Given the vagaries of Wenger’s comments I would have thought this was a fertile ground for Pete’s musings.
I think he means that had he of stayed at home we never would have signed Welbeck cos we would have got Falcao and Carvalleo,but he went to Rome so we got Welbeck.
Obviously – Given our history we were always going to spend 6M on a loanee whilst smashing our wage structure to bits. Carvalho would also have been done, no doubt, spending 24M on the weakest midfield in the league shortly after refusing a certain ex-gunner spanish type “average” midfielder.
I do hope the above post was an attempt at sarcasm…..
Arsenal V United Arab Emirates FC should be a close game. it must be great being owned by a country and being able to spend billions on players to either have them at the club and / or to stop others buying the players. A scheme pioneered by the southern oilers.
I can’t understand where the thumbs down come from, everything in this comment is bang on.
Giroud’s attacking threat aside, his defensive duties during set pieces have saved one or two Arsenal fans from a heart attack. I feel confident Welbeck will do well. Scholes said he isn’t a 25 goal a season striker and I want Welbeck to prove him wrong. He will.
So if Arsene had stayed home it wouldn’t have happened because. A. Arsene works 23 hours a day and Gazidis wouldn’t have had the room to manoeuvre? B. Arsene’s too tight to pay for a landline and had no battery on his mobile after haggling with the electricity company who had just cut him off. C. Arsene couldn’t do a deal from his house ‘ because stone cold said so. Or D. Arsene has the keys to the arsenal vault and thought his house wasn’t a safe hiding place, decided to lock himself in the vault and the real reason… Read more »
Has to be:
C) Arsene couldn’t do a deal from his house ‘ because stone cold said so.
What odds on stone cold putting maureen into a headlock next time we meet?
What are the odds of Petey Williams giving Maureen a Canadian Destroyer?
I’d prefer he just gave him a STONE COLD STUNNER and be done with him!
I think that AW’s comments on if I had of been at home are disgusting. Given the fact he just scored a brace, his comments are bemusing. Why not get behind the player who is showing signs of flourishing?
How is it in any way disparaging to Welbeck?
I don’t necessarily think it was a personal attack on Danny, but rather he had other targets he would have pursued and signed. He JUST said there was no hesitation signing him. Why would he then in the same breath insult the player he just backed, calling him a “great finisher”?
Mi Rage might have a point, you know. What if Wenger is suggesting, if he was at “home” (london, the Arsenal training ground, the office), he would not have sanctioned this signing at all, and relied on Sanogo to get us through till Giroud came through his injury. Of course, he is not going to say “I think Welbeck sucks,” but all his comments are lukewarm and ambivalent. Think about it, its not like he doesn’t have previous on not signing players for positions when the whole world think we need a player for a position. How often have we… Read more »
He MIGHT have a point if he wasn’t talking crap.
The comment might have been made before Wenger had clarified what he said but it doesn’t make it any more true, taking off the cuff remarks seriously and getitng disgusted about it is on the level of analysing idioms logically.
Also, it makes no fricking sense, as a geographical location wouldn’t change your mind, but that’s not really the point.
I think we all hope that one day Arsene will write a really, really good book.
Book of Top Top Top Quality!!!
Of great strength, character and spirit.
Written with mental strenght but a little bit handbrake on perhaps
As long as his pencil doesn’t lose a little bit the sharpness.
But he wont have seen said Top quality said book
Will we be the first to know when there is any news regarding this book?
He’ll write a load of mediocre books for 9 years before releasing best-sellers and winning the Nobel prize for literature.
Surely he’ll write some sensational best selling books then have nine lean years where he just about gets on the best sellers list then wins the nobel prize etc.
Look at that fade! High top fade – straight outta the 70’s! I said it would be the foundation upon which we destroy City and co. and I stick by that statement.
If only my own hairline wasn’t receding, I’d be sporting the same hair outta support. Fuck.
Guys some clarification
“If I stayed at my home, Welbeck would not be here – that is the truth.
“The advantage of that day is that I had to get up at 6:00 in the morning and was available the whole day.”
Wenger: If I stayed at home, I would have been doing useless things like F5ing futilely on Newsnow to see if Ian Gazidis is singing anyone.
‘if Ian Gazidis is singing anyone’.
Not likely as AW is much better with names and can spell.
I will just blame that on auto-correct.
When Arsene said that if he had stayed at home, the deal would not happened…he is really saying that he was directly involvef & working for the deal…even from Rome ir whetever he was. He is simply saying that if he was at home, he wouldnt be working on anything…let alone an important purchase such as this.
Danny comin to Arsenal is shaping to be a very awesome deal. Im not surprise that in the next year or so, Danny will be leading the England forward line…because of his contribution in Arsenal colors
You cant hear the phone ring while you are pushing a noisy lawnmwer
Has it occurred to anyone that Wenger is planting a little seed of shit in the lives of those over at Utd? ‘oh yeah, I would have been delighted to take your homegrown striker on loan, but permanent deal suits me good n proper’. Now their fans will be pissed at Van Gaal if/when Welbeck comes good.
Lets hope Wellbeck does the van Persie jive and scores a brace against them at their Old Toilet.
Then van Persie can ask for his shirt at half time
Either that or the Sturridge dance right up in Van Gaal’s face.
Reckon “The Pope” is now the perfect nickname for Welbeck.
The deal was done in rome just atter fergie confessed to the pope that his red nose antics had lead him to text message moyes to come in instead of maureen…
According to the official website, Wenger also said “The advantage of that day was I had to get up at six o’clock in the morning and I was available the whole day.”. So, by saying “If I had not travelled that day, Welbeck would not be here” maybe he means that his early availability due to his early start of the day because of his travel made the transfer possible. Then again, the idea that on transfer deadline day a manager that desperately needed a striker and a central defender would miss a deal due to sleeping late is absurd.… Read more »
Did his agent call at 7.15 saying ‘Mr Wenger, yes or no answer only, are you interested in Danny W? if not then we’ve 2 teams desperate for him…. but he’d prefer working for you sir’.
Fuck off! I am trying to get some sleep
Or after many years of marriage, maybe 8.30am on the morning of the 1st of the month is usually the day his wife looks after his morning glory, so he usually has his phone off……
😀
News Hound, could you please elaborate on this theory? Not having a go, just politely asking, as I don’t really see how being in London would have made the deal more difficult to the point that it couldn’t have happened.
Wenger states DW is a centre Forward and a great finisher. Now it is clear DW will mostly play through the centre. COYG!
I’m pretty confident that there was never a question as to where he was meant to be deployed when we signed him. I didn’t even hear so much as a mention of other positions he was signed to cover. It was always going to be spearheading the Arsenal attack.
Giroud’s scan reports come in. Doctor : He will miss half the season. Arsene dials his phone : Ivan, we need a ztriker. Ivan : Who do you have in mind? Arsene : Welbeck. Ivan : Shall I put in a bid? I think I can get him for under 30mil. Arsene : No. Don’t make a bid. Arsene hangs up leaving Ivan scratching his head on the other end. Within five seconds Arsene’s phone rang. Arsene : “Ivan, truzt me…” Arsene stopped when he realised who is on the other end. Van Persie: “Hey boss, it’s me. I heard… Read more »
Epic!!! Just Epic…
Christopher Nolan Stuff!!
Excellent! This should become a post.
That’s just wow, I humbly bow before thy great work.
If Sanogo starts i think he might be able to control his feet and actually score, knowing he’s now 4-5th choice when everyone is fit…should that ever happen.
“The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone” and all that.
Maybe he didn’t mean it literally.
He might have been saying he “went to work” on the deal, but if he had “stayed at home” that day the deal wouldn’t have happened.
Maybe he’s just saying that his wife doesn’t allow him to bring work home.
“Oh goody, I’m on a business trip. No wifey around to stalk me. I’m gonna go do me some hot… transfers!”
I think some folk are misinterpreting Wenger’s comments to mean he was outside negotiations. It’s clear he wanted to sign Wellbeck, mybe had he been there he may’ve wated too much time pursuing other avenues.
Ok tell me which UK law wenger broke to get the deal done. Any shady law he took adavantage of because he was in Rome?
Perhaps we will never know. Wenger better put all this in his book.
Bit disappointed to hear that. If Wenger was at home we probably would not have signed anyone, so it was good that he was in Rome.
Maybe the permanent signing was an act from god?
Realistically, it was probably Ivan who decided to sign Welbz permanently.
Welsh Jesus does not weep he just sweeps home high into the net from a tight angle. No-look the keeper like against Wigan! COYG!
I suspect by going out of the country. It appears AW was calling Man U s bluff and increased pressure on both Man U & Danny’s people to do a deal.
“If I stayed at my home, Welbeck would not be here…that is the truth”
Thank God you were away then Arsene. Maybe if you was on a two week holiday we might have got a centre back also.
Might mean it was taking awhile to complete the deal with all the moving parts (Falcao) and his being in Rome gave the FA a palatable excuse to grant an extension past the deadline. If he was sitting in his office at the Emirates all day what’s the reason for granting an extension?
I hope he writes an autobiography when he retires.