Community Shield: Arsene Wenger Not Listening To Mourinho

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says his transfer spending will not be influenced by other clubs as he prepares for the Community Shield meeting with champions Chelsea.

Blues boss Jose Mourinho hinted on Monday that the Gunners’ spending in recent years outstripped Chelsea.

But Wenger said: “We spend when we think we have to spend and do not listen to what people think or say.

“When we don’t have the money, we don’t spend the money we haven’t got.”

Arsenal won the FA Cup for the second successive season in May and finished third in the Premier League – 12 points behind winners Chelsea.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech – signed from Chelsea – remains Arsenal’s only transfer signing so far this summer despite director Lord Harris saying last week that the club could sign “almost anyone”.

However Mourinho believes that Wenger’s side can challenge for the title this season on the back of their spending over the last two years.

“If you add up the amounts clubs have spent in the last three or four years, I think maybe you will find a surprise,” the Portuguese said.

“If you put Mesut Ozil plus Alexis Sanchez, plus Calum Chambers, plus Mathieu Debuchy, you will find a surprise.

“It’s a fantastic squad with good players, fantastic goalkeeper, they are more than ready to be a title contenders.”

Wenger spent £35m on forward Sanchez last summer and a club record £42.4m on playmaker Ozil in 2013.

But the Frenchman dismissed Mourinho’s claims, pointing instead to his record of bringing through young players to the first team.

Wenger said: “When we have the money available, we spend it. We just try to make the right decisions.

“I believe that one day if you make real statistics of the players we have developed here and compare them to the other clubs, you will be surprised.

“I think what you want is not to listen too much to what people say, because sometimes in the same week I get two different reproaches: one I don’t spend enough and one too much.

“I believe if you want to create success, which we want desperately, it is best to focus on inside and try to do as well as we can, believe in the football we want to play, play it as well as we can and let other people talk.”

The two sides meet at Wembley on Sunday for the traditional opening game of the English season, with the Premier League beginning on Saturday, 8 August.

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