DON’T PANIC
Wenger to splash out £52million on two players but denies he is doing it just to appease fans
ARSENE WENGER has told Arsenal’s disgruntled fans they have not forced him into panic buys.
The Gunners are set to announce the signings of Valencia centreback Shkodran Mustafi and Deportivo La Coruna striker Lucas Perez, right, in deals worth a combined £52million.
The double swoop will bring an end to the growing pressure on the Arsenal manager ahead of Wednesday night’s transfer deadline. Arsenal initially turned down the chance to sign Perez last month and Wenger had previously also been reluctant to pay over the odds to sign Mustafi, despite their defensive crisis. The sudden change of heart had raised suspicions Arsenal were panic buying and bowing to unrest among their worried supporters.
But Wenger said: “Look at my face. Am I the face of somebody who does a panic buy?
“I am happy when our supporters are happy but my focus is on strengthening the squad in the right way. If you look at the last season for example, it is not necessarily the club who bought the most that is in front. It is my job to make the right decisions
for the team and the club. At the end of the season you will see if I made it.” Asked if he gets stopped in the street by fans urging him to splash the cash to keep pace with their big-spending rivals, Wenger said: “Yes, many times. But it is never aggressive. People are usually nice and supportive. “Now people have been addicted to news. We live in a society where we need always new faces, hope for the future.
“You want to dream and fear as well because the other clubs buy, you don’t buy. There is fear to be behind the others. My job is to resist stress and pressure, while keeping my head in the blue.”
Spanish striker Perez has flown in to the capital to complete his £17m move while German defender Mustafi is set to arrive for £35m. Wenger said: “Perez is a late developer, he played in a different position. He moved centrally in a successful way.
“He has good link-up qualities, good finishing.
“Mustafi was Valencia’s captain. If we get it done we get what we wanted.”
Arsenal go to Watford today, whose head coach, Walter Mazzarri, uses an interpreter at press conferences. So perhaps something was lost in translation when he said he likes the “English culture” of giving managers plenty of time to build a team. Watford have had eight different men in charge since the Pozzo family bought the club in 2012.
“When I spoke to the president he gave me a three-year contract,” said Mazzarri. “He believed in me. Instead of one year or two years as often happened, he wanted to start a new cycle with me and give me three years.”
FORMER Arsenal striker Thierry Henry has been named as an assistant to new Belgium coach Roberto Martinez.