• Premier League

Wenger refuses to accept blame for failing to sign defender

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says the primary reason he failed to sign additional defenders in the summer transfer window was a lack of available quality players.

Both Manchester United and Arsenal have run into trouble in the first few weeks of this season as their first choice defenders have picked up injuries, their lack of strength in depth leading many to suggest Wenger and United counterpart Louis van Gaal made mistakes in not bolstering their defences.

Yet Wenger refused to accept the blame for a defensive crisis that has developed following injuries to Mathieu Debuchy, Nacho Monreal and Kieran Gibbs and is set to force Per Mertesacker to play against Tottenham on Saturday while carrying a minor knock.

When asked whether there was a lack of top class defenders to buy in the last transfer window, Wenger said: "That is exactly [the issue], you sum it up very well.

"There is not a lot on the market and if you look at the other clubs, they had exactly the same problem. If you went anywhere, everybody is looking for defenders.

"I feel that we made a very good buy with Calum Chambers and we are a bit unlucky to lose Debuchy and Monreal at the same time together. No matter how many players you buy, you cannot have three players in every position because it is impossible to manage."

Arsenal's latest financial results confirmed a huge surplus of cash in reserve and encouraged supporters to suggest Wenger could have added to his summer signings of Alexis Sanchez, Chambers and Danny Welbeck.

But Wenger pointed out that the club's profits were not quite so impressive. "Our profit is not as big as the years before because we spent a lot of money. It's good to have a little cushion in case we need to buy when the right players come up. If we need to strengthen the squad we will do it.

"In the last two years, we have invested a lot of money and we will continue to do so with the money that is available."

Wenger confirmed that Mertesacker should be fit enough to face Tottenham at Emirates Stadium, with Chambers set to fill one of the full-back roles after being asked to perform in the centre of the Arsenal defence earlier this season.

Mathieu Debuchy is on a lengthy list of injured Arsenal defenders © Getty Images

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