But Frenchman will not be pressured into lavish spending.
Arsene Wenger says he is ‘confident’ Arsenal will sign some quality players this summer but says he will not be pressured into spending big by discontented supporters.
Despite promising fans an explosive summer in the transfer market, the Gunners have yet to spend a penny of their reported £70m transfer kitty, with free signing Yaya Sanogo the only arrival since January.
Club legend Ian Wright echoed the concerns of some supporters, claiming the North London outfit are in “serious trouble” and need up to eight top-class signings.
But Wenger has insisted he is not feeling the pressure
“If you say we are under pressure to spend money, then yes we are. But I feel more under pressure to spend the money in the right way. That’s what I will try to do.”
Twenty-year-old Sanogo is a France under-20 international and spent last season in the French second tier, but Wenger is confident his compatriot can have a major impact this term.
“We have signed Sanogo. He has not made the headlines. Why? Because he is not 50-100 million pounds. But I am quite confident he will make them [headlines] soon on the pitch and that for me is the most important.”
“Sanogo will surprise you because your expectation doesn’t look as if it is really high. He will not surprise me because my expectation level is very high. He is a top class striker.”
Arsenal take part in the Emirates Cup this weekend and will come up against former target Gonzalo Higuain, who joined Napoli from Real Madrid despite being strongly linked with the Gunners.
Supporters could voice their anger during the pre-season tournament but Wenger remains hopeful of securing some new players.
“I am confident we will make signings. You look at many teams around us and nothing has happened until now. These teams have financial potential as well. At the moment the market has not moved a lot, apart from Man City, nobody has done anything.
“Money is important. It’s not the only thing in the game. We have built by hard work, first of all, a team that has quality. The money we now have available is down to the quality of our work down the years.
“We want to spend it if it strengthens our team. Just spending money is not a quality. Spending the money, buying the right players that is a quality and of course we are in favour of it. But it has to be the right players.
“I would like to reiterate that we have signed Sanogo. Again, the quality of player is not only linked to the amount of money it costs. If we can do some more, we will do it.
“I’m always pretty relaxed because I always feel I will try to make the decision which I feel is right for the club. It doesn’t mean I always manage to do it. But I work with that conscience.”
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