Arsenal Transfer News: Arsene Wenger Uses Anthony Martial to Defend Dealings

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended his lack of transfer activity this summer, using Manchester United’s lucrative signing of Anthony Martial as a reason for why.

The Gunners chief only signed one senior player this summer in goalkeeper Petr Cech and has subsequently drawn criticism for not addressing glaring issues with the squad. But Wenger has come out swinging, insisting it’s tough to find players who can improve the team who don’t cost a fortune, per beIN Sports (h/t Sam Long of the London Evening Standard):

"

What happened last night with Monaco, who sold Martial to Manchester United for 80million Euros, I’ve heard.

Martial scored 11 goals in the French championship - that sums it up well. That means it’s not the money that’s missing at the moment, it’s not the desire of investment that is missing, it’s the number of players available who can strengthen the big clubs.

The problem at the moment is finding the players that guarantees you are a better team after, and that example last night shows you very well.

Martial is a huge talent - he’s 19-years-old. The investment is absolutely huge as well. It shows you that there’s not many players in the world who can strengthen these teams.

"

Lionel Cironneau/Associated Press

There’s no denying that Martial is overpriced. According to BBC Sport, the Red Devils stumped up an initial £36 million to land the 19-year-old, making him the most expensive teenager in the game’s history; the deal could eventually be worth £58 million based on a variety of stipulations in the youngster’s contract. 

For a player who is extremely talented but has yet to be fully tested at the highest level, that’s an obscene amount of money. The price paid by the Red Devils was put into context here by Duncan Alexander of OptaJoe:

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe took a closer look at whether the young Frenchman will turn out to be worth the money for the Red Devils:

But the Martial deal was a unique one. United were desperate for a multifunctional player to beef up their attack in the final stages of the transfer window, and given how close it was to the deadline, they were always going to have to pay over the odds. Had Wenger isolated targets earlier in the summer and drafted them in, the Gunners wouldn’t have had to add this similar emergency premium.

Indeed, as noted here by talkSPORT presenter Alan Brazil, Arsenal have been left trailing when it comes to recruitment in the summer window:

According to Rob Draper of the MailOnline, the money was there for Wenger to tap into. It’s noted that while the Frenchman was happy to pay big bucks for Karim Benzema, he was less keen on shelling out the £50 million that would have brought Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani to the Emirates Stadium.

Francois Mori/Associated Press

As noted by Eurosport’s Tom Adams, the Gunners’ targets should not have been limited to a couple of options anyway:

"

The 'name me a striker Arsenal could have signed' argument doesn't wash. That's what a scouting structure is for.

— Tom Adams (@tomEurosport) September 2, 2015"

That's something that used to be Wenger's trademark. He unearthed players like Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira before turning them into world stars. If world-class strikers aren't available, why not try to mould your own at least?

Lonel Cironneau/Associated Press

It’s frustrating for Arsenal supporters. In the current squad there are some superb players who would enrich most teams in the world. But without a striker of quality who can finish chances off and a holding midfielder who can knit things together, the Gunners won’t be fully tapping into the vision of Mesut Ozil or the incision of Alexis Sanchez.

This squad would have been very close to a title tilt with some quality additions and a bit of fine-tuning, but after patching up one area of long-term concern with Cech, Wenger seems to have been content to rest on his laurels. As such, this side will come up short again in their pursuit of some overdue major honours.