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Wenger on transfer window and Christmas

Will Arsene Wenger strengthen the squad in January? What will the players do on Christmas Day? What about Oscar moving to China?

They were among the questions posed at the manager’s press conference on Friday. Read on for Wenger’s answers:

on if players returning changes how he views January window…
Of course, because we have Lucas, we have Giroud, we have Alexis, we have Welbeck, Walcott, Oxlade-Chamberlain, who is nearly a striker. So we have plenty of options offensively.

on his defensive options…
Defensively, we are not in the need at the moment.

on fixture scheduling…
It’s a bit surprising this year because I don’t completely understand the organisation of the fixtures this season. Last week, after the Champions League, we played two games so that’s three games a week. This week we have eight days without a game. After that, some teams play on the 26th and the 1st so they have a complete week’s break over Christmas which is unusual. Then suddenly you play on the 1st and then the 3rd, just 48 hours later. I don’t whether it’s the television companies or the Premier League who have decided that, but it’s completely unusual. It looks less congested than it did before.

on what he will do on Christmas Day…
We will practise. At night we go to the hotel to prepare for the 26th.

on whether he will switch off at all on Christmas Day…
No. Like every manager, I suffer when we don’t win a game. In your mind you always have your next game. When you play on the 26th, it’s a game of a big importance and you know that you can’t switch off.

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on the implications of Oscar moving to China…
Yeah, it’s a surprise. It’s a distortion. When you’re a football player, you want to combine the quality of the competition with the quality of your wages - and the quantity. It is a surprise to me, but I must say that when I was in Japan, they had many Brazilian players like Leonardo, Jorginho, Dunga. At the time they were big players and moved over there. The competition was well organised and was of top quality. I don’t really know well but at the moment I think Oscar moves because he doesn’t play in the Premier League. China gives him that opportunity, and as well they invest a lot of money at the moment to create a big force. Will it be a problem for the Premier League in the future? It could become one.

 

More polls coming soon!