Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has refused to rule out a last-minute transfer for a top-class goalscorer as talk persists over a move for Real Madrid striker, Karim Benzema.
Wenger is as optimistic as
ever about his side's title chances this season but, while he believes Alexis
Sanchez, Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Danny Welbeck can provide the
firepower he needs, the 65-year-old is still in the market for an 'exceptional'
striking talent.
Sanchez will miss Sunday's
Barclays Premier League opener against West Ham having just returned from Copa
America duty, but fans will be boosted by the news that the French boss is not
out of the market for a new man just yet.
'At the moment we do not
have Sanchez, not Welbeck, and when these players come back we feel that we
have the needed striking force,' Wenger said. 'But we don't rule out as well if
something exceptional turns up to do it.'
Benzema has been
persistently linked with a move away from Real Madrid this summer with his
position under threat since new boss Rafa Benitez's arrival.
Wenger refused to name his
countryman as a target and labelled talk of his potential arrival as 'just
media talk' but has not struck the 27-year-old hitman's name off his list
Benzema hit 22 goals in Spain last season, despite playing in the shadow of star men Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale at the Bernabeu. His scoring figures from last term better those of any Arsenal player other than Sanchez.
Despite his business in
the transfer market potentially being unfinished, Wenger feels his squad is
ready at last to end a 12-year title wait by stealing the crown from champions,
and title favourites, Chelsea.
'I'm motivated to start
well,' Wenger said at his pre-match press conference at London Colney. 'One of
our targets is to start strong, we've had good preparation and that should give
us needed confidence.
'The Premier League is a
fight in every single game so we have to prepare ourselves mentally for that
and come out of the blocks straight away against West Ham. Every game of
pre-season went well... I cannot remember much better (preparation)”.
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