• Premier League

Wenger rules out Mata, says Jadson is 'nowhere near'

ESPNsoccernet staff
August 13, 2011
Arsene Wenger will not buy a defender © PA Photos
Enlarge

This season ESPN Goals is completely free. It's the first place to see every goal from every Premier League game, all season long

Arsene Wenger says Arsenal are "nowhere near" a deal to sign Jadson from Shakhtar Donetsk and ruled out a move for Valencia's Juan Mata.

Reports have claimed Arsenal are close to a deal for Brazilian playmaker Jadson, with the player having fuelled speculation when he recently claimed there should be "some news for everyone at the start of next week".

However, Wenger denies he will be heading to Emirates Stadium. "We are nowhere near on Jadson," he said. "We are not talking to Shakhtar about him."

Spain international Juan Mata was thought to be another target, but there were claims that Arsenal failed to complete the deal before the expiry of a release clause in his contract and Wenger has now said he will not be joining the club.

"We will not do [a deal for] Juan Mata," Wenger said. "I don't have to give a reason. We will not do it."

Arsenal have already moved to bring in Gervinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Carl Jenkinson, but Wenger suggested he has struggled to find the necessary value in other targets.

"We have two markets: one is internal and one is external. Internal is the young players that we have - players who are inside the club are very important. Externally, if I'm convinced a player brings some extra qualities to the squad, we will always buy him - maybe even overpay a little bit - but to pay three or four times the price, you must really be convinced that this is the player you need. At the moment, we have not found that player."

Wenger has also confirmed he does intend to reinforce in central defence before the end of the transfer window. He was quoted in German publication Kicker last week as saying he was happy with his options, and he has now explained: "We will have a new centre-back by the end of the transfer window - because [Thomas] Vermaelen only played five games last year.

"To buy just for the sake of buying, you won't find me there. If I'm convinced the player has the qualities, I will always do it if he's better than the players we have. We have specialised people to work everywhere. Everybody looks for centre-backs in the whole world. People with unlimited resources look for a centre-back. We are not in a supermarket where you go to a shelf and you ask, 'Where are the centre-backs or the strikers?'"

Meanwhile, Wenger explained the delay in offloading players this summer, with the Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri sagas threatening to overshadow the start of the season. "The pace of the negotiations is set by people who want to buy," Wenger said. "By how much you resist, to how much you defend your own property. That is logical. If I didn't do that I would be unprofessional."

Wenger remains adamant that Arsenal can succeed this season and urged fans to ignore the media criticism. "I don't listen to what people say," said the Arsenal boss. "What I want is for our fans to appreciate our team and to support our team.

"If our fans go the way the media want them to go we have no chance. The people behind me and around the press box do not necessarily represent the majority of the fans. They are the ones you [journalists] hear the most but aren't necessarily the majority. They make your opinion maybe but they aren't necessarily the opinion."

Arsenal's Premier League opener against Newcastle is live on ESPN and you can book your front-row seat right here

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Close

ABOUT COOKIES

To help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies.

More Info Here Cookie Choices