Metro have Arsenal fans crowding around the pool table here in the Football Transfer Tavern as they have the latest quotes from Arsene Wenger.
The Gunners boss has been speaking about one of his best players from the second half of the season and as our regulars note, it makes a change from hearing him talk about the players he could have signed but missed out on.
This time we get to hear all about how Wenger nearly allowed Francis Coquelin to leave the club before recalling him from his loan spell at Charlton, and lo and behold finding out that he was the one player the north London side had been crying out for.
Wenger claimed: ‘In myself, I thought if he doesn’t play at all until Christmas, there was only six months contract to go and I would let him go somewhere else.
‘You let the boy go. You don’t leave him completely out of the squad for six more months.’
Now as one of our punters notes, that is about as generous from the Frenchman as our landlord is by putting peanuts out at the bar and while we think Coquelin has been impressive for the club, there is no denying that Wenger needs to bring in another midfield hardman, but he’ll probably stick his head in the sand as per usual.
