• Arsenal manager says his side will 'come back stronger'
• 'For the first time for a while I will be very active,' he says
• 'For the first time for a while I will be very active,' he says
The Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger,
during his side's draw at Fulham in the final game of the season.
Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images
Arsène Wenger has pledged that Arsenal
will be "very active" in the transfer market this summer, after a
season that ended in disappointment, a fourth-place finish and a sixth
anniversary of their last success in a major trophy.
Wenger has been heavily criticised for his failure to spend more of Arsenal's profits on his team, preferring to bring players through the club's youth scheme or to spend relatively little on obscure foreign recruits. But the Frenchman says his policy is about to change.
"The market will be hyperactive because everyone believes financial fair play will happen soon," Wenger said, referring to Uefa's tighter regulations on club spending. "So we are quickly doing the last buying before the stores will be closed. And for the first time for a while, I will be very active, too."
While several first-team players, including Andrey Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner, are likely to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer, Wenger will find established replacements – though he is unlikely to compete with Real Madrid and Manchester City for the most expensive signings.
"The club is in a healthy financial situation and we have got the basis of the team but we know we want to be stronger next year," Wenger told French television. "The fans need to trust us because the club is in a strong position. I share their disappointment because a few weeks ago we were in a position to win the league and in the end we play for qualifying in the Champions League.
"Whether we deserve to come fourth or not, it is the points which count. The team has given a lot this year, we will be active and busy certainly and will try to make the right decisions. We have to take it on the chin and come back stronger next season."
Wenger has been heavily criticised for his failure to spend more of Arsenal's profits on his team, preferring to bring players through the club's youth scheme or to spend relatively little on obscure foreign recruits. But the Frenchman says his policy is about to change.
"The market will be hyperactive because everyone believes financial fair play will happen soon," Wenger said, referring to Uefa's tighter regulations on club spending. "So we are quickly doing the last buying before the stores will be closed. And for the first time for a while, I will be very active, too."
While several first-team players, including Andrey Arshavin and Nicklas Bendtner, are likely to leave the Emirates Stadium this summer, Wenger will find established replacements – though he is unlikely to compete with Real Madrid and Manchester City for the most expensive signings.
"The club is in a healthy financial situation and we have got the basis of the team but we know we want to be stronger next year," Wenger told French television. "The fans need to trust us because the club is in a strong position. I share their disappointment because a few weeks ago we were in a position to win the league and in the end we play for qualifying in the Champions League.
"Whether we deserve to come fourth or not, it is the points which count. The team has given a lot this year, we will be active and busy certainly and will try to make the right decisions. We have to take it on the chin and come back stronger next season."