The money is there

There are a lot of high-strung Gooners about. The general feeling seems to be that the Arsenal are a weakened side, unprepared for a long, gruelling season. Even unprepared for today's second league game at home to Liverpool.

The injury list is a sight to see. It still won't surprise anyone following this team, either over land and sea and Leicester, or from an armchair on foreign shores.

While it can be argued that the problem of the squad isn't the stars, but the depth behind them, the manager thinks differently, at least in public.

"We have not lost so many players. We have, of course, lost big players but number-wise we should be capable of doing well.

“If we find quality we will add quality to our squad and we work very hard on it."

These are well-known themes in the public comments of Arsène Wenger. There are enough players at the Arsenal, and we will only sign players that are better than what's already there.

If you start reading the above quotes, but find that the red mist in your eyes make it hard to finish them, please consider the following.

On the day before a game, the manager has no need of unsettling the backup players he needs to fill the ranks. Having your talent and quality questioned by the fans is one thing, your boss is another.

"You will soon see that they are all top-quality players."

These words aren't just for the press. They are Wenger's second most important concern. Us fans, it seems, hardly make the list at all.

It's far more important to speak to the transfer market itself. By playing down any reported interest in players, any need of strengthening and keeping quiet on any real targets, the prices won't inflate.

The money is there, and every club in the world knows it. That doesn't lower the expectations of large transfer fees, either.

And in a market where Manchester City, Málaga, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain can promise more than anyone, like triple wages for their targets, covering his real intentions is the obvious strategy. It isn't just Tottenham who blunder around scouting anyone the Arsenal have reported interest in.

It's healthy to remember another thing, as well: the weeding of Gaël Clichy, Emmanuel Eboue, Denilson and Carlos Vela has been advocated by lots of fans. They have no right to start whimpering after the fact.

But will there be new players coming in before the Champions League group stage is secured in Udine? And will there be any signings at all if Arsenal lose the tie, and with it tens of millions of pounds?

I can never be sure. But I think Wenger's key statement of the week is the widely reported admission that the injury list makes the squad light in the midfield and at the back. I think he will move to make sure there is adequate cover.

Earlier, there have been signings recruited by Wenger for depth alone, in stark contrast to the comments he has made this week. Less than a year ago, in fact. But we don't like to remember that, do we?