Arsenal Director Lord Harris Speaks on Transfers, Arsene Wenger and More

Arsenal director Lord Harris may have just sent the club's supporters into a frenzy.

Speaking to Nik Simon for the Daily Mail, Harris noted that the club has about "£200 million in the bank" for manager Arsene Wenger to spend and that Arsenal's board "would back him to break the club's transfer record. If he wanted the man, he could have him. Apart from [Lionel] Messi and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, he could have any player. We will probably have to break the club record to get the man he wants."

He then revealed that Wenger is indeed chasing one player in particular, though he remained coy.

"We get a list of the players that Wenger wants," Harris noted. "On the list is a centre-forward, but I'm not going to tell you who he is. You've got to get the other team to want to sell him, but I think he wants to come. It basically comes down to whether the other team can find a superstar to replace him, because they don't have to sell."    

On Friday, per Sky Sports, Wenger denied Harris' comments:

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Wenger laughed off Harris' comments at his pre-Emirates Cup press conference but did not deny outright the board member's other claim that Arsenal are chasing a new striker.

Asked whether the comments were helpful he said: "Helpful or not, it doesn't matter. He has gone a bit overboard because that's not true.

"We are in a situation - I explained many times - where we are working hard if an opportunity comes up to do something, but we are not in the need.

"Last week I had to answer 'what will you do if all the players are available?' This week 'why don't you buy?'

"Last week (in Singapore) we scored goals and we did not have Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck, who are coming back now. We're in a position where we have a strong squad, but if an opportunity turns up we'll still do something."

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It's hard not to speculate that the player in question is Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, who has been linked to the Gunners of late, per Telegraph Sport—along with quite a few other forwards—and has the combination of athleticism, finishing and creative ability and holdup play that would seemingly make him the perfect fit for Wenger's system. 

Harris wasn't done being candid there, however, saying that he thought Raheem Sterling was a good player but that he was pleased Wenger didn't sign him because the player "has a lot to learn" and "the way he treated Liverpool wasn't good."

He also noted that he sees no reason why Wenger shouldn't continue on with the club beyond his contract that runs out after the 2016-17 season. 

Finally, he said that he couldn't envision a scenario where Arsenal shared their grounds with Tottenham while the other north London club renovated White Hart Lane.

In all, it was a revealing interview from Harris, though Arsenal supporters are likely to latch on to the quotes about adding a star forward. What is intriguing is the fact that Harris publicly gave insight into what Wenger's current plans are at the moment and why he did so.

It's possible he was applying a bit of public pressure for Wenger to make another marquee signing following the club's acquisition of Petr Cech. It's also possible he was buying the manager a bit of time with an impatient fanbase who feels the Gunners are a marquee forward away from winning the league this year but aren't pulling the trigger on any big names. In that interpretation, the subtext of Harris' comments could be read as, "Be patient—we're working on something."

Regardless, the club's supporters are now going to expect one more splashy signing this summer. After Harris' comments, the ball is firmly in Wenger's court.