Arsene Wenger says he is not reluctant to spend money and is "excited" by the prospect of Arsenal's growing financial power.
The manager has brought in Yaya Sanogo this summer but is still looking to add to his squad before the transfer deadline passes on September 2.
It was put to Wenger at his pre-match press conference on Friday that there is a perception that he is resistant to an expensive recruitment policy.
"Of course that’s unfair," he responded. "Why should I resist? I just defend the idea that you spend the money you have and not the money you don’t have.
"For years I did that. Today we have more so we can spend more. It’s as simple as that.
"Of course I am excited by that prospect but what I want to convince you of is that we are ready to spend the money if we feel that the players makes us a better team tomorrow morning.
"Maybe it’s difficult to balance that in a newspaper but football is not only about that. It’s bigger than that. It’s about the team, the quality of the play, the spirit and togetherness and the quality of the players. Therefore we have to focus on all the rest as well."
Although Wenger wants to add to his squad, he is comforted by Arsenal's ability to hold on to their players after seeing some big names leave in recent summers.
"What happened for years was the quality of our work has been taken away from us because the best players left for financial reasons," he said.
"For the first time this year that has not happened and I don’t think it will happen again for financial reasons.
"We have made the first step. The next step is to strengthen the squad and the team by buying the right players."
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