Hardly getting a good player in arsenal

(AFP) – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has hit
back at claims by Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard
that striker Luis Suarez was “too good” to ever
move to the north London outfit.
The Gunners tabled a £40,000,001 ($67.5 million,
50.4 million euros) bid for Suarez a year ago in the
mistaken belief it would trigger a release clause in
his contract at Anfield.
And the Uruguayan went on to score 31 goals as
Liverpool narrowly missed out on the Premier
League title before joining Barcelona this summer.
Gerrard claimed that he had advised Suarez,
currently banned from all football for four months
after biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini during a World
Cup group game, against joining Arsenal last year.
“I said: ‘Don’t go to Arsenal’,” the Liverpool captain
told several British newspapers on Thursday.
“With all due respect to them, I said to him that he
was too good for Arsenal.”
But Wenger, who instead signed Real Madrid’s
Mesut Ozil for a club-record fee, insisted on Friday
no player would deem themselves too good for his
side.
“You’re never too good for Arsenal and Steven
Gerrard knows that,” he said during a press
conference ahead of this weekend’s Emirates Cup,
in which Arsenal will host Portuguese champions
Benfica and Monaco.
“But I can understand completely that he asked him
to stay because he wanted him (Suarez) to play
with him and have a chance to win the Premier
League. But it didn’t happen, and anyway, Suarez
left.”
Wenger has been busy in the market this summer
with the addition of Chile forward Alexis Sanchez
from Barcelona, England youth international Calum
Chambers from Southampton and Newcastle United
right-back Mathieu Debuchy.
However, Wenger hinted that he has not finished his
summer spending just yet.
“I’m very happy because I did what I wanted, and I
am still open to do more,” he said.
“Let’s not forget that we are at August 1 today, and
the transfer window closes on the 31st.
“We are a bit ahead of what we usually do, because
the availability on the market was bigger and earlier
than before.”
There may yet be players moving away from the
Emirates Stadium as Wenger admitted the future of
defender Thomas Vermaelen remains unclear, with
the club captain unhappy at his lack of first-team
action last season.
“At the moment Thomas Vermaelen is here,” added
Wenger.
“It (a move) could happen, yes it’s a possibility that
he goes. If he goes we have to replace him because
he’s an important player in our squad.
“I expect him to stay but he, of course, did not play
enough games last year. For me he’s a very
important player but I couldn’t guarantee him the
games he wanted last year.”