Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has described the furore over making new signings as ‘noise’ as supporters await further action in the transfer market this summer.
The Gunners have landed just one marquee signing so far in this window, with Granit Xhaka joining the club earlier this summer.
Despite finishing second in the Premier League last season, much more activity was expected at the Emirates, but as has been the case in recent years, Wenger hasn’t obliged and splashed out on players when his squad arguably needs strengthening in key areas.
Coupled with the fact that all of their title rivals have spent heavily this summer, the pressure is certainly on the Frenchman but it doesn’t seem to be affecting the way in which he goes about his business.
“What is very difficult in the modern game is that there is always the demand for new,” he said, according to The Sun. “But new is just new. The first day a player drives in here, it’s new. After six months, it’s not any more.
“What is new makes news but apart from that it makes noise, it’s not necessarily always quality.
“We signed Xhaka. The other clubs signed a lot of players but they signed a lot of players the year before as well.
“If you want to make everybody happy just buy 20 new players. Then everybody is full of hope, until the first game starts, then it’s back to reality.”
An area in which Wenger conceded that his side does need to improve is their finishing, as he believes that their lack of cutting edge hurt them last season as they continued to create countless opportunities.
Nevertheless, with a defensive crisis on his hands to start the new campaign too, there are obvious areas of his squad that need reinforcements and it now remains to be seen whether that ‘noise’ forces him into action.
The Gunners take on Liverpool in their season opener on Sunday evening, and that could provide a marker for Wenger to see where his side is at and what is required before the deadline.