Arsene Wenger refuses to bow to pressure as angry fans demand new striker

There is no ‘miracle man’ out there, says manager, after disappointing draw underlines Gunners’ lack of firepower

Arsene Wenger looks on at the King Power Stadium (GETTY IMAGES)

Arsène Wenger tonight dug his heels in as fans begged him to sign a new striker, claiming that there was no “miracle man” Arsenal could buy tomorrow to solve their problems.

Arsenal fielded Yaya Sanogo up front in today's 1-1 draw at Leicester City – a disappointing result which prompted Gunners fans to start singing, “Please sign a striker”.

The mood was not helped by the confirmation of Loïc Rémy’s move to Chelsea. Arsenal had previously shown some interest in signing the Queen’s Park Rangers attacker.

Today was Arsenal’s first league game since Olivier Giroud broke his leg, but Wenger refused to promise that a replacement would be signed before tomorrow's 11pm transfer window deadline.

“I don’t want to promise,” said the Arsenal manager, although he did say that the club were “out there” looking for possible answers. “There is a solution every time you don’t win, to buy somebody. Every time you don’t win, there is a miracle man who wins you the game.

“Why did Manchester City not win against Stoke? They have plenty of strikers. Football is a team game. It is not just an individual sport.”

Wenger said that even Giroud’s availability might not have made the difference against Leicester. “Could we have won the game today without anybody? Yes. We have plenty of strikers. Even when we had Giroud, you asked me the same question. As long as the transfer market is open, it makes everybody dream that the solution is always somewhere, but it is not necessarily obvious.”

Alexis Sanchez (right) scores his first Premier League goal (GETTY IMAGES)

Wenger saw England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who came on in the second half, hold his ankle at the final whistle but said it “does not look too bad”. Oxlade-Chamberlain should join up with the England squad this week for games against Norway and Switzerland.

Leicester’s manager, Nigel Pearson, was proud of his players. “They’ve given as good as they’ve got and it should give them confidence,” he said. “We are capable of improving and competing at this level. We managed the game very well. Even when we looked slightly fatigued we managed the game and changed our approach.”