Arsene Wenger tight lipped about Mertesacker & Sol Campbell hits out at critics
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has made it clear that he will not be signing any more players in the current transfer window. However he did leave the matter of signing Per Mertesacker in the air. He did not deny the rumour and neither did he accept it.
The big defender from Germany has been linked with a move to Arsenal for a while, Arsenal had let go of 3 defenders this season including Sol Campbell, William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre. Gunners did sign Laurent Koscielny, but still there is an evident need to sign at least one more defender.
Udinese's Cristian Zapata is also believed to be on the radar of Wenger, but he has not made any comments on that either.
Arsenal beat Celtic in the Emirates cup, and after the match the manager said that the club is not planning on making any new signings. Wenger said that the window as far as he is concerned has been closed; he added that no players will be going out or coming in to the club. When asked about Mertesacker, Wenger said that for now nothing is for sure.
Meanwhile former Arsenal man Sol Campbell has said that people who are questioning his physical fitness are totally out of line. The former England defender has said that he feels fit and ready to go.
Campbell became the subject of criticism from Magpies fans after a picture of him training was released. The image in question was posted on a Newcastle fans message board and was labelled Fat Belly.
Campbell said that he knows there is work to be done, but still he feels that his fitness at the moment is good enough for him to play against any top club in Europe.
Campbell while talking to the media said that, the criticism is uncalled for. He said that he has been training for just 3 days and is 3 weeks behind the rest of the squad. He said that everyone is aware of the fact that he recently got married and was on his honeymoon.
He said that the picture was not flattering, and he admits that he needs to work hard on his fitness. He said that the picture though was not very accurate and the training kit also had a lot to do with it.
Campbell said that in truth, he is in a better shape than he was when he rejoined Arsenal after a long layoff. He said still he worked hard on his fitness and got back in shape, and added that he is going to do exactly that here.
Sol Campbell went back to Arsenal for a 2nd spell in January last year; he joined Notts County after leaving Portsmouth and quickly realized that he was not meant to be there. He played 11 more league matches for Arsenal in his 2nd stint from January to May.
After not being able to get a new contract at Arsenal, Campbell decided to join Newcastle and said that he is very excited about the prospect of bringing back the club to its past glories.
Campbell said that in general he is a big guy, and he cannot force his body too much. The former Portsmouth defender said that he will take his time in getting back in shape, but reiterated that he should not be judged on that. He went on to say that it is the performances that count and fitness will come in due time.
Campbell’s former boss Arsene Wenger also said that it is unfair to criticize a seasoned player like that, and his former player is good enough to prove his worth on the pitch.
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