adminLONDON. – Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has denied being pressured into forking out £42,5m on Mesut Ozil and said the deal was only done late because Real Madrid took their time over Gareth Bale’s world record move. Ozil made the switch to the Gunners from Los Blancos on deadline day for in a club record deal which went a long way to pacifying critics who had urged the Frenchman to delve into their perceived war-chest in the transfer window.
Angry fans shouted at Wenger to “spend some f******* money” after the 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa on the opening day of the English Premier League season. However, the Frenchman said that the deal was only held up due to Madrid’s procrastination over the £86m signing of Bale from Tottenham Hotspur. The Welshman eventually became the planet’s most expensive player last month and Wenger said that the two deals were linked. “The timing of the (Ozil) deal was linked to the Gareth Bale deal, but also all the other deals as well because Real Madrid bought Asier Illarramendi and Isco in the summer,” Wenger told the club’s official website.
“When I first contacted Real Madrid, things were quite open. They also needed time for Carlo Ancelotti to get to know his squad better, so he could make a decision. So all these aspects put together explains why it happened so late.” The Gunners boss also dismissed suggestions that he capitalised on the chaos of deadline day by moving for Ozil late on, instead claiming that the German international had been a long-term target. – The Mirror.
Online Reporter