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Extra: Wenger on transfers, Cech, doping

Read extra quotes from Arsene Wenger's press conference ahead of Sunday's game against Chelsea:

on Cech's gloves being sent to wrong place...

I think he has enough gloves, these kind of mistakes can happen. I consider him now as a real Arsenal player and it looks to me as though he has been here forever because he has adapted so well. He has integrated with the team spirit so quickly that I feel he has been here for a very long time. So when this sort of incident happens it’s an accident.

on whether he has checked his gloves...

No no, he is big enough to do that.

on whether it will be a busy transfer window...

Yes, you will certainly have some work to do over the next 10 days, not especially with Arsenal, but with many other clubs.

on whether he will do any more business...

We are always open to the exceptional occasion of course because it can be a long-term exceptional opportunity that we would take. But at the moment I expect our last 10 days to be quiet.

on whether Spurs/Chelsea could groundshare at Emirates…

Not really because we suffered a lot to build this stadium, we had to be very tight financially to pay it back so I don’t know. I don’t feel it is in our plans to do it, we don’t need it and we have not been approached for it as well. Honestly it is a board decision, not my decision.

on whether he will talk to UK anti-doping...

Look, I have more desire than time [to do that] but I am always happy to help if I can if clarifying anti-doping with people who want to fight against doping. I’ve said what I had to say and I’ve not got a lot more to do. I just think in our job, in football especially, we look like we want to tackle the problem now. It looked to me for a long period that we didn’t. I’m available. I do not have a special desire, I just want to help tackle doping because we all have a responsibility to fight against it.

on what contribution he can make…

I don’t especially think that I can do more than the people [who are] responsible are doing. If they feel they need to talk to me then I am available. What is important to me is that we all have to show that we don’t accept it.

on what the punishment should be…

They should warn the guy and the authorities. We have experienced people who have died early because they [were] doping, which means they took it without any medical assistance. That is even more dangerous. It is important that when a guy wins, we think it is because he is the best and not because he is taking illegal substances. On the other hand it’s a health issue as well. It’s a justice issue and a health issue.

on whether doping happens in British football…
No. I’m sure that not one club in England is trying to dope its players. I’m absolutely 100 per cent convinced that nobody in England tries to do that as a club. I’m convinced of it.

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