Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Transfer news: Arsene Wenger concedes defeat in Arsenal's pursuit of Liverpool striker Luis Suarez

But Gunners manager remains hopeful of new additions before the window closes

James Orr
Friday 23 August 2013 12:33 BST
Comments
Luis Suarez has returned to the fold at Liverpool
Luis Suarez has returned to the fold at Liverpool

Arsene Wenger has admitted that there is “absolutely no chance” of Arsenal signing Luis Suarez from Liverpool in this transfer window. Wenger put in two bids for the Uruguayan striker, the second of which was £40m plus £1m, but both were rejected by Liverpool.

After the Gunners 3-0 Champions League play-off victory against Fenerbahce in the first-leg in Istanbul last night, Wenger offered a quick reply when asked if the pursuit for Suarez was over: “Yes. There is absolutely no chance of that.”

Wenger said that there is still plenty of time left in the transfer window and he is confident of finalising some additions to his squad before it shuts on 2 September, especially in a midfield, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby all sidelined. A £10m bid for Newcastle’s Yohan Cabaye was rejected earlier this week, while Wenger is currently weighing up transfers for Real Madrid pair Karim Benzema and Angel Di Maria.

"Quality-wise we don't need anybody but number-wise we are short," he said. "We lost [Alex Oxlade-] Chamberlain, [Mikel] Arteta to injuries and [Abou] Diaby is also out – three international midfielders. We tried to bring one in but we are working on that.

Wenger added: "You have to understand that there is still a long way to go. The transfer market starts for me now and a lot of activity will happen between now and 2 September. It starts now. It is like a poker game. People hold their cards as long as possible and see what is happening out there. In the end, they go for decisions.

"First everybody goes on holiday and nobody wants to do anything. Then, in many clubs, there are manager changes. They need to know the squad before they make a decision. There are many, many things but it is always like that."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in