Arsene Wenger is having a good week. After starting the season with a 3-1 home loss to Aston Villa, Arsenal beat Fenerbahce midweek in the first leg of their Champions League qualifying tie. Now the Gunners have recorded a solid win over Fulham, with the opener scored by Olivier Giroud followed by a brace by Lukas Podolski.
Wenger believes that first win against Fenerbahce was vital in enabling his side to secure all three points against Fulham. He told the BBC, “The positive result [in Turkey] counter-balanced the fatigue. We were very dangerous every time we won the ball back. We had a good mixture of a patience game and a speed game - and that was positive.”
But despite this mini-revival from the Gunners, the club still hasn’t managed to secure a quality signing over the summer. Although Wenger was given a bit more time to chat about the match and his approach to it (a mixture of patience and speed from his players, said the manager) inevitably questions from the press turned toward Arsenal’s transfer strategy.
On Friday, Wenger kept his sense of humor when discussing the transfer situation, likening it to dating: “We have to get on with our lives ... You’ve certainly tried to go out with a girl and find she has chosen someone else. You don’t commit suicide.”
When speaking to the press after Saturday’s match, however, the Arsenal manager adopted a more serious tone. While stating that he still knew what he wanted and that hasn’t changed, despite real results, Wenger acknowledged that he cannot have complete control over which players are brought in, as it also depends on the selling club. He then reaffirmed that the Gunners are searching for new players to bring in, but that none would join before the second leg against Fenerbahce.
While Arsenal fans might find their spirits bolstered by these last two wins, they’d be even happier if their club would just sign a player, already. Will these words from Wenger be enough of a comfort?
