Arsene Wenger eventually spent big money to improve his Gunners squad.
Arsenal legend Roberto Pires has offered his assessment of the club’s transfer business, speaking to Goal.
It was a highly frustrating summer for the Gunners, with fans growing disillusioned at Arsene Wenger’s refusal to spend like their main rivals.
It ended with a flourish though, as the Frenchman went out and spent £50 million plus to bring La Liga pair Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez to the Emirates Stadium.
Alongside the capture of Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach, that took their spending to over £80 million in total.
Some have questioned the Mustafi and Perez captures, even going so far as to label them as panic buys, but Pires insists his former manager picked players with good quality.
“He [Wenger]spent a lot of money, not like Man United or Man City. But he chose good players with good quality,” he told Goal.
“I think some players like [Granit] Xhaka or [Shkodran] Mustafi can help this team. Because, actually, the team is really good, the quality is unbelievable.”
Wenger will now be hoping that his signings do prove to be smart ones across this season.
Xhaka has already made a strong start to life at the Emirates and the other two will be hoping to do the same when the season resumes after the international break.
The pressure is certainly on, with Arsenal fans expecting an instant impact given the money that has been spent.
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