Arsenal transfer latest: Arsene Wenger set to sign...no one on transfer deadline day as manager heads to Rome to referee charity match

Arsenal look set to miss out on any last minute deals as Wenger heads to Rome

Arsene Wenger was reported to have been spotted at Heathrow Airport (Twitter/@will152)

Arsenal have already missed out on the likes of Diego Costa, Angel Di Maria and now Radamel Falcao, but despite insisting that he will remain “active” in the transfer market, Arsene Wenger is on his way to Rome to referee a charity match on transfer deadline day.

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Such was the anger from the Gunners’ supporters who travelled to Leicester for yesterday’s 1-1 draw, the away section shouted an explicit chant to the Arsenal manager that made it clear in no uncertain terms that they want a new striker signed before tonight’s 11pm deadline.

Wenger has so far refused to bow to pressure to bring in a new frontman, insisting that the likes of Yaya Sanogo, Alexis Sanchez and Lukas Podolski can provide ample cover for Olivier Giroud. The Frenchman led the line for the FA Cup champions last season, but he will be out until 2015 after suffering a broken tibia in the 2-2 draw with Everton nine days ago.

He did confirm though that the North London club will remain active in the transfer window with attempts to strengthen the squad set to continue right up until the deadline, although it appears that any of those talks will not be conducted by Wenger himself.

The 64-year-old was spotted awaiting a flight out to Italy, where he is due to referee a charity match in Rome later today. According to the Daily Mail, Wenger is officiating a ‘Match for Peace’ friendly that will feature the likes of Lionel Messia, Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo at Roma’s Stadio Olimpico later tonight – when the club’s fans had hoped he would be finalising moves for a new striker as well as a belief that the squad is still short in defence and midfield.

The club did look into the possibility of signing Loic Remy from QPR, but pulled out of the move after Chelsea closed in the French striker – later confirming the £10.5m switch on Saturday evening. With moves for Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira, Bayer Leverkusen’s Lars Bender and Adrien Rabiot of Paris Saint-Germain appearing to be dead in the water, the Gunners are looking short on transfer targets to opt for if they are to make any inroads in appeasing those fans desperate for transfer activity.

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The absence of Wenger could also prove pivotal, given the role that the manager played in persuading Mesut Özil on deadline day last season. It took a personal phone call from the Arsenal manager to convince the Germany international that his future lay at the Emirates, and Özil would later confirm that the move was unlikely to have happened had it not been for Wenger’s influence in making him feel wanted.