Watford vs. Arsenal: Arsene Wenger's Key Pre-Match Press Conference Quotes

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal have "shot themselves in the foot" after failing to win their first two Premier League matches this season and has said to "be on alert" as he anticipates a hectic three days in the transfer market.

The Arsenal manager reflected on the 4-3 defeat to Liverpool and 0-0 draw with Leicester City when he spoke to the press ahead of the Gunners' trip to Watford on Saturday, per ESPN FC's Mattias Karen:

Indeed, the Gunners are already five points behind title rivals Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea, who all won their opening two matches.

The Frenchman is looking to the transfer market to rectify Arsenal's situation, though, and believes there will soon be plenty of activity:

Per the Mirror's Joe Mewis, Wenger said of Arsenal's progress in signing Valencia's Shkodran Mustafi and Deportivo La Coruna's Lucas Perez: "We are working on the deals. Will we sign anyone before the window closes? I’m 99 per cent confident."

According to Mark Mann-Bryans of PA Sport, the pair are likely to be the sum of Arsenal's incoming players for the remainder of the window, but there may still be outgoings, per Karen:

Per Goal's Chris Wheatley, the 66-year-old gave his take on the transfer market this summer and rejected the notion that he's frugal:

Per Mann-Bryans, Wenger also offered his thoughts on each team in Arsenal's UEFA Champions League group following Thursday's draw, and he made clear the Gunners' aim:

Per Mann-Bryans, he added on Paris Saint-Germain: "It is a good test for us to play PSG. Let's hope we can get a good first result. They have hit the headlines in transfer market."

And on Basel: "I believe it is a mixture of them being the dominant team in Switzerland, they have good coaches, good youth development. Good scouting."

With Watford looming, the manager was also quizzed on the state of his squad—specifically Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud, who are yet to start this season:

After already losing ground on their rivals, it's vital Arsenal pick up three points on Saturday.

The news of transfer deals is likely to be a huge encouragement to Gunners supporters—Mustafi and Perez may not be world-class signings, but both will address major problems in the squad and make the team stronger.

As for the clash with the Hornets, if Ozil and Giroud are able to feature, it will provide a significant boost to the team's chances—the former's effortless creativity and the latter's goal threat have been sorely missed in the opening games.