Laurent Koscielny may start against Leicester City.
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“You could say that today in Europe you have two markets – one for the English clubs and one for the rest of Europe”, he said at his pre-match media conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to play Premier League champions Leicester City.
“The challenge will be exactly the same”, said Wenger, whose side are unbeaten against Leicester in 21 encounters stretching back to November 1994. “If you look at his numbers, certainly he was in the top three in the League past year”. Wenger said he has no issue paying “over the odds” for a player as long as he is good enough to strengthen the squad. “If I have to take a gamble on one, it’s certainly on him”.
Although, both striker Olivier Giroud and maestro Mesut Ozil are not set to feature.
Raising their game against English football’s established powers has been something successive Liverpool teams have had no problem in doing.
“We’re not scared to spend money, but to buy in itself is not a quality, to buy good players is”, Wenger told journalists on Thursday. “I can understand everything in the human reaction, of course, it’s disappointment”.
Arsene Wenger believes there are two separate transfer markets developing and warned Premier League clubs that their high spending will eventually lead to the loss of their financial advantage. “Of course they have not played any games for a while, so I have to be selective and I can not go for the three because that would be too risky”.
As a player, if I was in his situation I would be hammering on the manager’s door saying “you need me, I can play, stick me in”.
Arsenal also have Danny Welbeck returning around Christmas, after scans showed he is healing faster than expected from knee surgery, while academy product Chuba Akpom impressed with four goals in preseason.
Arsenal did the double over Ranieri’s winners last season. “I think this week he was already sharper in training”.
Wenger added: “With him it is hard to be careful”.
“Last year sometimes I over played him a little bit and he is always looking to stay on the pitch. I know we haven’t done as much as many people but we are out there”, he added.
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Unless the Gunners acquiesce to the French club’s demands, Lacazette could join a long list of players scouted by Arsenal yet uncaptured.
