Arsene Wenger spoke to the media on Monday following his side's arrival in Singapore for the Barclays Asia Trophy. This is what he had to say:
on being in Singapore...
I'm happy to be in Singapore. I have been here before, I know it's a very good place, a very safe place and usually things are well organised. So we can hope to have a good combination of competition and preparation in our training sessions, as well as good conditions in our hotel, which is important.
on it being Important to get off to a good start in pre-season...
We want to win every game. A few years ago nobody was interested in these games but now there is so much interest in the preparation that if you do not win these games it's already a crisis! It's important that you start on a positive foot.
on Everton and Stoke ensure it is competitive...
Of course, Everton and Stoke are two competitive teams. Stoke had a great season last year and they always make life difficult for you. In the Premier League were are used to playing against each other and the games are always very tight.
on the possibility of winning the title this season...
Look, we finished third last season and won the FA Cup. The pressure is on us to do better, but there are plenty of competitors to win the Premier League. You have seen the buys clubs have made already, but we will give absolutely everything to do it.
on further transfer deals...
That doesn't depend only on us, it depends on whether we can find them, but if we can find one or two players we will do it.
on what Petr Cech will bring to the side...
I believe he has many guarantees. He will give us his talent, his experience, his knowledge of the top-level game. He can contribute to stabilise our defensive sector. I must say that in the second part of the season we conceded 13 goals from 19 games, so there is not much wrong there. That means that the requested level is very high.
on how many points he will be worth...
That is difficult to measure, but what he can give us is to contribute a stability. Also all the other keepers here are still young, so he can contribute as well by developing our goalkeepers because they are top quality.
on whether he will he be the only new signing...
It depends, if we find ideally what we want, we are still hoping to do something else.
on Raheem Sterling...
It looked a done deal for a while, because Sterling said he wanted to leave. For me Sterling is a top-class player. It's a good buy for Man City. An expensive one, but they can afford it. Personally I like him. I didn't make a bid because he plays in an area where we have plenty of players. We have Welbeck, Walcott, Chamberlain. Sanchez, Wilshere can play there, Gnabry. He's a wide player basically, or behind the striker.
on Manchester United's signings...
We knew they wouldn't be happy with finishing outside the top three, they will respond. They have made some interesting signings. They came out of the season thinking they have to rebuild their midfield, and they did it by buying two important players - Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin. They are two top-class players. One who is now coming up to the top level - Schneiderlin, and one who has done it all. It will be interesting to see how they mix with the other players.
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