Heavy criticisms have trailed Arsenal’s failure to sign an outfield player in the summer, and manager Arsene Wenger has been the major target of the fans outrage, but club legend Thierry Henry has leapt in defence of the under fire manager.
Arsenal’s signing of Petr Cech from Chelsea was their only major business in the transfer window meaning they are the only club in Europe’s top five leagues not to sign an outfield player.
The Gunners had been linked with the likes of Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and PSG’s Edinson Cavani but Henry isn’t certain those player would have opted to move to England with Arsenal.
“I do not know if the boss wanted Benzema or not, but the player must also want to come,” he said.
“What are you going to offer to the guy who is playing for one of the best teams in the world, knowing that he is playing there week in, week out, and performing well?
“So I do not think that Arsene did not want to bring any other players – that would have been another story if he had really said: ‘I do not want to bring in any other players.’ But he said that if it can be done, then I will try to bring someone.
“But how do you get Benzema from Real Madrid when he plays there and Cavani also from Paris Saint-Germain – he scored again at the weekend? It is a difficult one.
“I do not think he did not want to bring in anyone, he wanted to bring players as we know, but it did not happen.
“Right now they are already five points behind City, still have not won at home, won two games by an own goal, which is actually their best goal scorer at the moment.
“Ideally it does not look right now like they are going to win the league like this. But I think Arsene believes he can win the league with that team and that team is good enough. And that is his prerogative.
“I think he should have tried to bring players and I think he did try, it could not happen, but I still think that team needed some players.”
With only three goals in their first four Premier League games, Arsenal fans had hoped of a deadline transfer day deal, the type of which saw their capture Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid two seasons ago.
