Arsenal Transfer News: Raheem Sterling Defended by Arsene Wenger Amid Rumours

At the end of a week in which there have been plenty of negative headlines about Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has offered some support for the England international.

The 20-year-old is currently embroiled in a contract saga with the Reds, and as noted by Simon Collings of the Daily Telegraph, the player’s agent, Aidy Ward, has revealed Sterling will not be extending his stay at Anfield. But Wenger does not believe it's the youngster who is causing trouble, per Collings’ piece:

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I am not sure that it is the player causing the problem. Most of the time it is not the player who causes the problems.

[The player and agent] come as a package that is true, but the problems do not always come from the player—sometimes from the package.

I don’t want to single out people but discretion is the best way to deal with things because once it goes public it is very difficult to mask, you have so many opinions.

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There are plenty who will argue Wenger is merely trying to accrue favour with the player. After all, according to Jamie Sanderson of Metro, the Gunners are interested in the prodigious winger and could potentially offer Theo Walcott to the Merseysiders to sweeten any potential deal.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe recently took a look at possible destinations for Sterling if he leaves Liverpool this summer:

Although the situation is pretty volatile between the Reds and their star player at present, Arsenal will be acutely aware of the club’s resolve when it comes to keeping their prized assets.

After all, Liverpool famously resisted the Gunners' advances when they pursued Luis Suarez in the summer of 2013 before the Uruguayan inspired the Anfield club to an unexpected title charge.

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As noted by Tony Barrett of the Times, Brendan Rodgers expects Sterling to be at Liverpool for the duration of his contract:

But if Arsenal do come in with a sizeable offer, it’s a bid Liverpool will surely consider seriously. For the Gunners, landing one of European football’s brightest young talents would be a major statement and the kind of switch that would indicate they are serious about mounting a title challenge next season.

Arsenal also need to spend big to replenish other facets of the squad if that type of charge is going to materialise. As such, Gunners fans will be encouraged to know Wenger revealed to beIN Sports (h/t Jon Harvey of Metro) that he’s willing to splash the requisite cash to make the Londoners top dogs in England once again:

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We are ready to spend the money for players who strengthen our team. There is a difference in that and just spending money.

If I ask you who has spent the most money this last season and if I give you last season, and the season before, it is never the teams who have won the championship.

We are in a position where we just want a player with an exceptional quality in any area that can strengthen us. he depth of squad is important and any world class player in any position can help us achieve what we want to achieve.

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LAWRENCE LUSTIG/Associated Press

While the defensive side of this Arsenal team has long been a concern, other issues have manifested into something tangible in recent weeks. Wenger must pursue a quality holding-midfield option in the transfer window, while the lack of a world-class centre-forward has become detrimental as of late.

As we can see here, courtesy of Squawka, getting the better of packed defences has become a massive issue for the team in the final embers of this campaign:

In addition, the Gunners are also crying out for a quality goalkeeper, with question marks lingering over the calibre of both David Ospina and Wojciech Szczesny.

Bleacher Report’s Arsenal correspondent, James McNicholas, thinks a new man between the sticks should be the Gunners’ priority when the window opens:

Shifting focus back to Sterling, given what Arsenal need, a strong pursuit of the Liverpool man would make little sense. There are holes aplenty in this Gunners squad, but in terms of attacking-midfield options, they have a surfeit of talent at their disposal.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

If the Londoners do address their problems in goal, midfield and at the point of their attack, it’s then they should turn their attention toward recruiting a player such as Sterling.

Landing the England international would be a fantasy capture, but there are many more understated acquisitions the Gunners could make to expedite their route back to the top of the table.