It’s the weekend’s most important match, one that will give us early reads on two of the Barclays Premier League’s most intriguing teams. Coming off last year’s fifth place finish, Everton harbors hope of cracking the top four, a position the mandates taking advantage of opportunities at home. Saturday’s visit from Arsenal (12:30 p.m. ET, NBC) is one of those chances, albeit against a team hoping to mount a title challenge.
Ahead of this weekend’s trip to Goodison Park, Arsène Wenger spoke to the media in North Londong, playing up the value of Everton as a measuring stick.
“Everton is always a good opponent,” the Gunners’ manager said, above. "[The game] tells you where you are. For us, it’s a good test.”
Rather than focus on the game, however, the assembled media appeared more concerned with the transfer window - a concern that was not shared by Wenger.
“We are like you. We listen to the names ...,” Wenger said, about the transfer market, “At the moment, we are not in an emergency case. We have the players we want, but we are open as well to any opportunity until the end of the transfer window to strengthen our defensive department, in quality and number.”
More from Wenger, including his reaction to the impending arrival of Mario Balotelli, above.