LONDON, England, August 15 – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted the club will continue to be active in the transfer market right up until the end of the window on September 2 but said Thursday he couldn’t give any guarantees about how many new players the London club will sign.
Gunners chief executive has made much of Arsenal’s new “financial firepower” at the end of the last season but the only confirmed signing of the transfer window so far has been France Under-21 forward Yaya Sanogo, and that on a free transfer from Auxerre.
But they remain in pursuit of unsettled Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, although they may have to spend £50 million if they want to bring the Uruguayan to the Emirates Stadium.
“We are active,” Wenger told Arsenal Player. “We are in a situation like Manchester United, like Chelsea, where everybody expects signings and at the moment not a lot has happened.
“There are 18 days to go, so that is a long time in the transfer market and we will be active.
“I cannot certify what the number (of players coming in will be), but we will be active until the end, that is for sure.”
Meanwhile, the Frenchman explained the £8 million exit of Gervinho to Roma by saying the Ivory Coast forward had been undermined by some sections of the Arsenal support.
“I made that decision because he looked to play with a lack of confidence, especially at the Emirates,” Wenger said.
“He is a very creative player, an instinctive dribbler and for that you need a lot of confidence to be completely efficient.
“I felt that in the last six months it was very difficult for him to express his talent in a confident way.
“Then you sit there and think, ‘do I bring him back or does he need a new challenge to get that confidence back?’ and I did not want to stop him from getting a new chance.”
