Arsenal Tranfer News: Arsene Wenger Says Gunners Don't Need Another Defender

Well, this is pathetic.

I was actually having a fairly nice day. Two days to the start of a fresh season, the chance for redemption against Newcastle at St. James' Park, an optimistic article that didn't have anything to do with transfer speculation, and I was in a pretty good mood.

But then I stumbled upon this: Arsene Wenger says that Arsenal do not need another center back.

I was (and am) still at work when I read this, yet I still was forced to double-take and make sure that I read that right. I couldn't even stop my mouth from becoming agape and my arms from spreading in amazement. I am still somewhat shell-shocked.

The first thing that immediately went through my mind was, Are you kidding me? After this whole long arduous summer, after an entire season in which the Arsenal defence was exposed again and again and again (I could go on) and the back four shipped away enough points to win the title, could Wenger really seriously say that we do not need another defender?

After consistently witnessing aerial battles lost, hatfuls of goals conceded from set-pieces and, let’s face it, an utter lack of quality compared to the other big English teams, I feel as if I understand Wenger about as much as I comprehend the meaning of life.

Apparently, because "we currently have four central defenders, there is no need for another." I would not really call Sebastien Squillaci a defender; he better resembles a drunk jellyfish at the back, so horrendous is his defending and so lacking is he in quality.

Not a poisonous jellyfish, though. People are actually afraid of those.

If we want an opinion on the terrible defensive situation at Arsenal different than that of Arsene Wenger, we only need to read the recent quotes of—Arsene Wenger.

Consider this quote, published in The Sun on July 23:

"

"We will have to find one more defender. I can promise we work very hard on it."

"

If Wenger is not just blatantly lying now, as I hope he is, I feel like an absolute sucker and a fool.

How I let this man play off my trust and my love for the club in order to put more money into the club's coffers and let the defense rot is a testament to my naivete and Wenger's political skill.

How Wenger could have gone from acknowledging on several separate occasions that he needed to strengthen the defence to being totally content with the sub par core of players and the lack of any sort of depth at the back is beyond me. He was clearly lying at one of these two times, unless our good friend Ivan Gazidis decided to renege on his own promises and keep more money for himself.

I really don't see what is so hard about signing a defender—any defender. Gary Cahill has a £17 million release clause in his contract. Well, in addition to the reported £30 million already available, Wenger has a further £50-60 million coming in from the imminent transfers of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.

If Arsene Wenger wants to achieve even his lowered expectations of finishing in the top 4 (which we will probably compete with Liverpool for because they are spending money and are thus on the rise), he needs to get his head out of the sand—and fast.

I really do not understand what is wrong with this man.

How can only he not see what everyone who has ever watched a recent Arsenal match seen? How can be be so willfully ignorant as to turn his back to the pinings of his own players for new signings? How can he not see what so many of his former players (Nigel Winterburn, Sol Campbell, and Ray Parlour, to name but a few)—people who actually played football—are begging for?

Wengerites, bring on your your vitriol and arguments about the past—I very much welcome it at this point. But I reiterate my earlier sentiment:

This is absolutely pathetic.

Follow me on Twitter: @planefreakf22