Wenger dismisses claims of £200 million transfer war chest

Arsene Wenger has dismissed a boast from Arsenal director Lord Harris that the Gunners can afford to buy virtually any player in the world.

After several years of caution in the transfer market due to the cost of moving to the Emirates Stadium, Harris was quoted this week as saying Arsenal have a surplus of around £200 million that Wenger can dip into to bolster his squad.

Harris claimed only Barcelona’s Lionel Messi and Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo were beyond Arsenal’s reach and he backed Wenger to break the club’s record fee of £42.5 million paid to sign Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid in 2013.

But Arsenal manager Wenger, who has so far signed only Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech for £11 million during the close-season, said on Friday that Harris’s comments were over the top. “He’s gone a bit overboard. It’s not true,” Wenger said. — AFP