Arsene Wenger says he was never in for Balotelli for Arsenal‏

01 August 2014 05:05

Arsenal and Arsene Wenger finally quashed the idea that Mario Balotelli will be finding his way to Arsenal. Wenger in his press conference this afternoon stated categorically that "For weeks we were buying Balotelli from one minute to the other and it was all wrong. We were never in for him,”.

This must be music to Joel Campell's ears, whom Arsene said may well be involved in the game against Benfica in the Emirates Cup over the weekend. Balotelli is sponsored by Puma, Arsenal's new kit manufacturer and speculation was rife that because of this, there may be a prospect of a deal at a significantly reduced price for the Gunners, regarding the enigmatic Italian. However, he comes with a certain amount of baggage, and many fans were certain that Arsenal did not need this player at their club, irrespective of his ability.

However, Wenger did imply he expected more deals to be done before the end of the transfer window, so it may well be the ideal time for the young Costa Rica striker Campbell to show he's up for playing in the big league. Arsene took a chance many years ago on a young raw talent called Anelka and is certainly not scared if the player is ready, to throw him in at the deep end.

In addition to mentioning Balotelli, the Arsenal manager confirmed it's possible that club captain Thomas Vermaelen will head away from the Emirates but impressed upon the journalists that for himself, he would like Vermaelen to stay. Having spent over £60 million this transfer window, this could be a way to at least recoup some money, although Wenger did say that, were he to leave, he would need to be replaced, which indicates that Calum Chambers is not in line to be played as a center-back, a position he is quite capable of filling. How Chambers will be used is as yet a subject for speculation, but hopefully more of an idea can be gleaned after the Benfica game on Saturday.

Source: DSG