Arsene Wenger says Arsenal’s lack of signings is down to unsuitable players, not money

ARSENE WENGER quashed speculation that Arsenal cannot afford to buy top level players, saying “It’s not the prices, it’s the players.”

The Gunners have only made one big signing this summer in the form of midfielder Granit Xhaka for £30million – leaving fans bemused as title rivals spend big.

But speaking after their 8-0 win in Norway against Viking Stavanger, he revealed any potential acquisition must meet his specially concocted formula.

He said: “The money is never a problem for me if we have to pay what is requested.

“The price of a player is down to four ingredients – talent, age, how much you expect him to improve your team and his re-sale value.

“If he ticks all four boxes the price is not important.

“But you have to find the players. All the Premier League clubs have a lot of money, they look everywhere and there is not a lot happening.

“I focus on the players we have and tonight we did not have Ramsey, Alexis, Xhaka, Giroud, Ozil, Wilshere and Koscielny.

“So we do not have to panic but be alert on the transfer market and make the right move when the opportunity comes up.

“Wilshere has started to run today and will train next week, so he is very short-term.

“Ozil, Giroud and Koscielny only return to training next week and will not play against Liverpool next week. That game comes too early for them.”

On tonight’s match, Wenger added: “In games like this the players get experience but they are not tested enough.

“We do not focus on the score, just on playing our game the way we want with pace and movement.”