Wenger not looking to attract star players
Sunday, 18 May 2008 11:39
Wenger says talent is more important than reputations
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he is not looking to bring in any star name players this summer.
The Gunners held a commanding lead in the Premier League heading into February but a run of lacklustre results saw both
Manchester United and
Chelsea overtake them by the end of March.
With the loss of midfielder Mathieu Flamini to AC Milan and rumours of Alexander Hleb's impending departure, it was thought the Frenchman would look to add some experience to his young side.
However, Wenger is adamant that he will select the future Gunners players purely on ability rather than their reputation.
Wenger explained: "I think a huge player is better than a huge name. You have huge names who produce very little at the moment."
The Gunners boss said he was looking to bring in only two or three new players to his squad this summer and the 58-year-old claims he is not short of options – hinting that a number of players have already been offered to him.
He said: "There is plenty of demand from players who want to join us and what we need next year is two or three maybe."
When asked whether experience would be one of his considerations for new recruits, Wenger reiterated "we just need talent".
Arsenal finished four points behind United this season although they actually lost fewer games than the champions.