Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says that the Gunners are not interested in wantaway West Ham star Dimitri Payet and are unlikely to do any transfer business this month.
The France midfielder is refusing to play for the Hammers again as he looks to push through a move to former club Marseille after turning down a huge, £500,000-a-week offer from China.
Wenger admits he is a fan of Payet, but says he does not need to buy another attacking midfielder with Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain among his options.
‘I don’t need Payet because we have so many creative players,’ said Wenger during his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
‘I rate Payet, of course. We have many players offensively that can play in this position.
“You’re interested in the quality of the player, but there has to be a need too.’
Asked if he would bring any new players to the Emirates during the January window, Wenger replied: ‘I expect it to be a be a very quiet period.
‘We have (Danny) Welbeck coming back offensively. We are very strong. We have many, many players who can come in.’
I like Oxlade-Chamberlain and Welbeck, but can an Arsenal fan say with a straight face that they are as good as Payet?
One player who could be on his way out of the club is Carl Jenkinson, who is in talks over a permanent move to Crystal Palace.
‘Jenkinson is a possibility to go to Palace but it is not finalised,’ Wenger added.
‘It is down to him to find an agreement with them.’
