Next Game

Indonesia All Stars v Arsenal

Sunday, 14 July 2013, 20:30

Friendly Match

St James' Park, Newcastle

Last Game

Newcastle 0 - 1 Arsenal

Sunday, 19 May 2013, 16:00

Barclays Prem

Spending dilemma for Wenger

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is feeling the burden of appeasing fans by bringing in big names to help boost the club's hunt for silverware.

Last Updated: 04/01/13 at 00:39 Post Comment    Bet with SkyBet  Premier League. Click here to bet.

Arsene Wenger keen on adding talented players to link up with the likes of Jack

Arsene Wenger keen on adding talented players to link up with the likes of Jack

The Gunners have been linked with a £10m bid for Atletico Madrid striker Adrian Lopez, along with Crystal Palace starlet Wilfried Zaha and Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby.

And with doubts still surrounding the future of Theo Walcott, the club will be keen to keep their loyal supporters on board and get involved in the January transfer window.

"It is very difficult because the level of expectation is very high - people want to see Lionel Messi come in, they don't want to see a promising guy," said Wenger ahead of their FA Cup visit to Swansea on Sunday.

"First of all the name gives hope. When a guy has no name people are already sceptical, so it's much more difficult for us."

Swansea look to have picked up the Premier League's bargain of the season £2m striker Michu, signed by manager Michael Laudrup from Rayo Vallecano.

With the Spaniard scoring both goals in the 2-0 win at Arsenal on 1 December, Wenger admitted the 26-year-old had not been high on the watchlist of the club's scouting network - now under more scrutiny to unearth a hidden gem.

"Sometimes when you are on a big club your scouts are a bit more cautious because they think 'oh, it is Arsenal it has to be a top four player', so naturally they are looking less at players who play at smaller clubs," the Frenchman added.

"You are always scared that he is a player who does not do well, the scouts are looked at as responsible. The competition is higher on scouting front, that is for sure.

"The country where we were really, really competitive was France, but now they produce less players than they did 10 or 15 years ago at the top, top level.

"The emerging countries now to produce players look to be Germany and Spain, who have many good young players."

Bet with SkyBet  Premier League. Click here to bet.

Related News

Sky Bet

    • Retrieving latest Sky Bet odds

Most Commented

Readers' Comments

I

m curious as to what image Real Madrid are trying to re-establish as I always thought their pre-Jose image was one of a bunch of a classless bullies tapping up whoever they wanted while living it large on borrowed money they're never going to pay back.

john matrix
Perez Will Spend Big To Forget Jose...

A

t the start of the season, after the RVP transfer, I confidently claimed that Arsenal would finish above United. I now regret it immensely.

Fuzzy_Dunlop
Reflecting On The F365 Pre-Season Predictions

D

aniel Storey generally did very well, going against the City won it last year so they're bound to win it this time grain. As for John Nicholson, I wouldn't trust him to predict correctly what day of the week it will be tomorrow.

Griff
Reflecting On The F365 Pre-Season Predictions

Footer 365

Bastian Schweinsteiger aiming to treat Wembley to footballing perfection

Bayern Munich's Bastian Schweinsteiger aims to treat Wembley to footballing perfection in the Champions League final.

Pardew to remain at the helm

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew will remain in charge at St James' Park after holding talks about his future with owner Mike Ashley.

LB: Toffees won't come unstuck

Leighton Baines insists the upheaval of losing manager David Moyes to Manchester United after 11 years in charge will not derail Everton.

Mail Box

More Scared Of Losing AVB Than Bale...

We thought we would have to resort to another mailbox about maths but we've had some grand opinions about Man United, Newcastle, Tottenham and more. Oh and maths...

An Ode To Rafa And Loads More Mails...

We have one Chelsea fan who recognises the job done by Rafa Benitez while there's maths from Liverpool, Newcastle and Manchester. And Shawcross to Arsenal? Nah...

© 2013 British Sky Broadcasting Ltd. All Rights Reserved