Arsenal FC manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that he was never interested in signing Raheem Sterling from Liverpool FC.
Arsenal have travelled to Singapore for their pre-season tour and their manager Arsene Wenger has revealed, in an interview with Sky Sports, that the Gunners were never in the race to sign Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling.
Arsenal were initially linked with the England international, but later Manchester City emerged as his mostly likely new destination. Liverpool and Manchester City have now reportedly agreed a fee of A?49 million, which makes the 12th most expensive footballer in the history of the game.
The Frenchman also praised Manchester United for their business this summer and expressed his admiration for both Morgan Schneiderlin and Bastian Schweinsteiger.
“All these players are top-class players.
“(But) on the offensive front we have many creative players, midfield as well. They are players I know well and like – Schneiderlin, Schweinsteiger and Sterling. but offensively we have plenty of players.” a The Arsenal manager told Sky Sports.
Arsene Wenger insisted that his team already had a lot of options for the position Sterling thrives, but believes he will be a good signing for Manchester City.
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“For me Sterling is a top-class player. It’s a good buy for Man City. An expensive one, but they can afford it. Personally I like him.
“I didn’t make a bid because he plays in an area where we have plenty of players. We have Danny Welbeck, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Alexis Sanchez. Jack Wilshere can play there, Serge Gnabry.
“We knew Manchester United wouldn’t be happy with finishing outside the top three, they will respond. They have made some interesting signings.
“They came out of the season thinking they have to rebuild their midfield, and they did it by buying two important players – Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin.
“They are two top-class players. One who is now coming up to the top level – Schneiderlin – and one who has done it all. It will be interesting to see how they mix with the other players.” a He added.
Arsenal have signed Petr Cech from Chelsea this summer, and Wenger claimed that they are still in the market for more new additions to the squad.
“If we find ideally what we want, we are still hoping to do something else.” a Wenger said.
Schneiderlin was the one that got away
While Arsene Wenger was justified to not pursue Raheem Sterling, the London club are in need of new defensive midfielder this summer. The fact that they are just one Francis Coquelin injury away from fielding Mikel Arteta or Mathieu Flamini in that role, is a cause for a big concern.
The Gunners were linked with Morgan Schneiderlin earlier this summer, but Arsene Wenger was reportedly put off by Southamptona s demands. The Frenchman has now joined rivals Manchester United. While the 25-year-old is not a proper holding midfielder, he is certainly versatile enough to play that role when the team needs him. By refusing to pursue Schneiderlin, Arsene Wenger has probably missed a great opportunity to strengthen his squad this summer.
