Champions League: Arsenal won't sign superstars before transfer window shuts

Arsene Wenger has admitted he is "struggling" to sign new players before the window shuts next week.

But the Arsenal boss insisted he can still bring "the right players" to the club without multimillion pound price tags. After the defeat at Fulham on Saturday, the Frenchman welcomes the influential Cesc Fabregas back into his side to face FC Twente in tonight's Champions League qualifier.

But Wenger said he is not looking for more superstars from outside his squad.

While Liverpool have signed Robbie Keane, Manchester United pursue Dimitar Berbatov and Chelsea close in on £31m Robinho, Arsenal have had more modest targets.

Even the agent of Switzerland and Udinese midfielder Gokhan Inler claimed yesterday his player had turned down a move to the Emirates.

Gilberto Silva, Alexander Hleb and Mathieu Flamini have left while Samir Nasri, Aaron Ramsay and Mikael Silvestre have been brought in to help plug the gaps. But yesterday Wenger tried to reassure concerned Arsenal fans he does not need to spend big to compete.

"I do not know why we are always under pressure to buy £30m or £40m players," he said.

"We can buy a Robinho but we have not to look at Chelsea or Manchester United or Liverpool. We have to look at ourselves.

"We have no complex with the names. The names don't impress me. What is impressive for me is the attitude and the quality and all the rest is the media.

"I am under pressure to buy good players. And good players are not always necessarily linked with the price of a player. There is still a market to buy the right players. We are struggling to find them but we will find them, don't worry."

Arsenal went 21 matches unbeaten at the start of last season before ending up without a trophy.

But the average age of his seven subs at Craven Cottage - 19.4 years - illustrated the lack of depth in the Gunners squad. Yet Wenger claimed new signings are not essential.

"We have the required squad and I believe in the players I have instead of always looking at who might be coming in," he continued.

"It is not one player who makes a difference. It is up to us as a team to show personality, strength and belief. We lost only three games last year - and why should we not be capable of repeating that?"

Former Arsenal hero Lee Dixon savaged the current defence in Match of the Day 2 on Sunday and pointed the finger at captain William Gallas. And Wenger, furious after the defeat, gave the France defender only lukewarm support.

"William is no more guilty than anybody else. We lost as a team and we want to respond as a team," said Wenger, whose side lead 2-0 from the first leg in Holland against Steve McClaren's side.

"It's a massive game for us. We completely understand the critics because we were not good against Fulham, but we promise we will come back and play well."

PROBABLE TEAMS
ARSENAL: Almunia, Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Walcott, Denilson, Fabregas, Nasri, Van Persie, Adebayor
FC TWENTE: Boschker, Wielaert, Braafheid, Douglas, Rajkovic, Janssen, Tiote, Brama, Denneboom, Huysegems, Elia

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Video: Steve McClaren on the Arsenal game