Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has claimed that Manchester United paying £36m for Anthony Martial proves he was right to not splash the cash, reports the beIN Sports [via Daily Express].
The 65-year-old brought only Petr Cech from Chelsea to the club over the summer, and the Gunners were the only club in Europe’s top five leagues to refrain from buying an outfield player. A lack of options on the market was the reason for this according to the Frenchman, rather than an unwillingness to spend.
“What happened last night with Monaco, who sold Martial to Manchester United for £58m, I’ve heard,” said Wenger, “Martial scored 11 goals in the French championship – that sums it up well. That means it’s not the money that’s missing at the moment, it’s not the desire of investment that is missing, it’s the number of players available who can strengthen the big clubs.
“So am I happy with the investment I make? Yes, every time. I bought Sanchez, I bought Ozil, I bought Cech, I bought Gabriel last year.”
The lack of new arrivals comes despite Wenger claiming that he was aiming for the Premier League title earlier in the summer [Daily Mail]. The squad he currently has at his disposal – minus Cech – finished 12 points off champions Chelsea last time round, a gap that will take a monumental effort to bridge.
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With this in mind, there has been some fan unrest over the lack of arrivals at the Emirates Stadium. This will put a large amount of pressure on the team to perform after the international break, especially after their shaky start to the campaign.