Read extra quotes from Arsène Wenger's pre-match press conference.
on winning the Premier League title…
It’s our target and we feel we have a chance in a very competitive league. We finished third last season and we won the FA Cup so that shows that we are not far away. We have a good, cohesive group and I believe they are a group who have the ambition to do better. That’s our target but it is very difficult to know how good we are until the season. What is important is that we focus as well as we can, then we have the chance.
on whether Arsenal need any more signings…
We do not guarantee that we can sign someone and I’m happy with the squad that I have. If I find a player with an exceptional potential who can strengthen the squad then I will do it. It depends who is on the market. It’s not easy at the moment because many clubs are out there to buy, and the number of players who can strengthen the big teams in Europe is very restricted.
on Karim Benzema…
I don’t know where that story comes from but that’s not happening at the moment.
on not facing Stoke in the final…
When we go to Stoke there is a special atmosphere there that is always very motivated. At the end of the day we lost last year but we could only blame ourselves for the quality of our performance. Stoke are committed against everybody but it’s true that last year they played good football as well.
on the fitness and medial procedures in the club…
We always try to improve in every department and it’s true that we have done more fitness preparation on the medical side. Every year we try to move forward and we feel that we have done much better last season. I’m confident that we will do better again this season. At the moment we came with 27 players, three goalkeepers and 24 outfield players, and they are all available to play on Saturday.
on Robin van Persie…
It’s a big surprise. I’m quite surprised that Robin has gone to Turkey this summer, to Fenerbache. He’s a loss to English football because he’s an exceptional football player. He’s one of the best I managed with an exceptional technique. I don’t know what happened or why he left but he’s a loss for the Premier League.
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