Extra: Wenger on Diaby and rotation

Arsene Wenger faced the media ahead of the Tottenham game. Here are some extra quotes from his press conference. For more headlines, visit our Digest page.

on bouncing back…
It was a disappointment to go out against Southampton but we could be a completely different team because I changed 10 players from the Villa game. We are more in our minds on the back of the Villa game and we want to do well - but we wanted as well to go through in the Capital One Cup but Southampton played very well. You have to consider them as being one of the top teams this season in the Premier League.

on the rotation of the team…
It’s difficult for the players who do not have a lot of competition to come in and be at their best. You’re always tempted to be a bit harsh on the judgement of the players who lack a bit of continuity in the competition. You have more look at the young players and, on that front, I believe that players like Isaac Hayden and Hector Bellerin have shown that they have the quality to be here and I believe overall David Ospina had a good game as well.

on regretting not buying a defensive midfielder…
Not at all. Abou Diaby is a natural resource that I have because he’s a top-quality player. If you look to find better quality players than Diaby on the market you will have big problems. He has not played for one and a half years and I tried to find a solution that suits him and us. What’s happening is that he’s not at his best at the moment because he needs competition. He has not got that change of pace and the power in his challenges that are his strengths, but if I can maintain him without any injuries he will come back and it could be a very satisfying solution for him and us.

on rotating players over a busy period…
Not really at the moment, I have my eye on the next game because that’s a massive game and it conditions a little bit our confidence to go into other games. It’s true that it’s a very big week for us, so let’s start it well.

on the club's financial results…
Our profits did sink and is not as big as it was the years before because we spent a lot of money. It's good to have a little cushion in case we need to buy when the right players come up [and] if we need to strengthen the squad, we'll do it. But I think in the last two years, we've invested a lot of money and we'll continue to do so with the money that is available.

on Lampard to City…
You always have two judgements, one is moral and one is legal and it just depends what you consider. I think is is legal? You have to respect it after that and the player has to deal with his decisions. I respect the fact he wants to play at the top level and he maybe didn't have that opportunity anymore at Chelsea. I don’t really know is behind all that. Was it always his plan to go to New York and go to Man City? I am not sure. I genuinely think he wanted to go abroad and to New York and suddenly was offered this solution to come back to the Premier League and he took it. He could explain that much better than I do, I don’t know what is behind that.

on a key period…
I agree with you that it's the second important block. The first massive important game for us was Besiktas after the World Cup to get through and to start well in the Premier League. Our start was decent and now is the second block of games that will show how strong and good we are.

on supporting the Rooney rule…
I’m a supporter of being against any discrimination and I dream of a society where just competence comes in no matter where you come from or what is the colour of your skin or what your culture is. That is for me the most important thing. I don’t think the rules of employment should be positive discrimination. I wouldn’t like to be a part of any culture where I get a job and think I’m just there because I come from there. In some ways it’s encouraging discrimination. I just dream of a competitive world where everybody’s employed just because they’re good at their job. I’m in favour of that. We had that debate in France where there shouldn’t be any discrimination between a woman and a man - it’s just competence that is important.