• Premier League

Wenger: Benitez 'doing a good job' at Chelsea

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger fears Chelsea are ready to spend their way back into the big time, as he suspects the Stamford Bridge club have big plans ahead of next season.

Wenger has predicted that Chelsea will be big movers in the transfer market this summer, suggesting talk of moves to sign Atletico Madrid striker Falcao and the possible return of Jose Mourinho as manager would send out an ominous signal to the rest of the Premier League.

"I'm afraid of what Chelsea can do in the summer," Wenger told Eurosport. "We have to be prepared for them to be one of the biggest movers in terms of investment once the window opens.

"We've heard a lot of talk about Falcao. Some people say it's already a done deal, but I've heard nothing. Even though they already have a great base to their squad, notably their young players such as Oscar, Juan Mata, Ramires and Eden Hazard, I think they will be busy during the transfer window.

"I think Chelsea currently have a great coach in Rafa Benitez, but if they part ways at the end of season, of course Jose Mourinho would be a good solution for Chelsea. Mourinho is one of the best in the world, but I consider Benitez to be doing a good job at Stamford Bridge."

Wenger's comments on Chelsea's spending plans come amid renewed reports that his club have opened talks over the summer transfer of Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic.

Meanwhile, Arsenal attacker Theo Walcott has revealed that Wenger has lost his temper with the Gunners players on several occasions over the course of their turbulent season.

Walcott has claimed that Wenger's calm demeanour is replaced by a more explosive personality when the tide turns against his team and they fail to live up to his standards.

"People think he doesn't let loose, but he can, just in quite a calm way," Walcott told Sport magazine. "He lets us know (if we haven't performed) the following day, that's for sure. There have been a couple of those this year.

"We all understand how much it means to him, as well as to us, and how much belief he has in us. That should be enough to spur us on to do it for him."

Walcott went on to defend Wenger against the barrage of criticism he has faced this season, as he suggests the Arsenal players need to accept more of the blame when they suffer setbacks.

"He always puts it back on himself and protects the team, but us players know that we're the ones who go out there and play, we do the job," added the England winger.

"He obviously puts his message and tactics across at training, but if we don't do the job on a weekend, it can't be down to the manager. We need to step up ourselves and not always let the manager take the blame."

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