Read extra quotes from Arsène Wenger's press conference ahead of the Aston Villa game. For more headlines, visit our Digest page.
on Wednesday's result…
We wanted to stay in the Champions League. It looked very unlikely after our defeat to Olympiacos because we needed to beat Bayern, to win away at Olympiacos, which we had not done recently, so I think it is a fantastic performance that got us through in the end. Now we need to focus again on the Premier League and we are in a strong position. We need to move from competition to another with the same level of performance and focus.
on if being in the Europa League could have helped title chances…
I don’t know but we would have played as well in the competition and we would have gone for it. It is a difficult competition. You have Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham, so it would have been a little Premier League competition and we are happy to stay where we are.
on the transfer market…
I have already answered that question. I will go out there and see what we can do but at the moment we have a whole December to go in a good position in the Premier League. So it is important for me that we don’t lose more payers because we are short and that everybody contributes fully, like we did on Saturday and Wednesday, and have that consistency in January.
on Victor Wanyama rumours…
I rate the player but we are not on the case.
on if this has been one of his most gratifying weeks at club…
I’ve said many times. I do not run after my own ego, I just want to do well. I enjoy doing well and I’m happy to do well for everybody who loves Arsenal Football Club. After, the opinion that people have of me, I cannot influence that too much. I accept that it’s part of my job and I can live with that.
on Remi Garde wanting Ashley Cole…
He has lost Amavi, and he is looking for a left back. If one has strength of character and talent, of course Ashley Cole has made a fantastic career. He’s at the end of it. Can he again find the physical resources to produce positive impact at Aston Villa? I think if he’s free of injuries he can still do it, yes.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.