Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will not be making a winter transfer window swoop for Gokhan Inler.
Swiss midfielder not a target for Arsenal
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will not be making a winter transfer window swoop for Gokhan Inler.
The Switzerland international was a summer target for the Frenchman when a defensive central midfielder was high on his shopping list.
Mathieu Flamini's summer departure to AC Milan has left the Gunners short of steel in the centre of the park, with Wenger still to bring in a replacement.
But while Udinese's Inler was on the manager's radar in the summer, he is no longer a target for the Emirates Stadium outfit.
Speaking to the press after Saturday's FA Cup third round victory over Plymouth, Wenger was asked if he was interested in Inler.
"Yes, in the summer," he replied. "But not any more."
Class
Should Wenger choose to bolster his squad this month, then players who are not eligible for UEFA Champions League action could still be considered, such as Zenit St Petersburg's Andrei Arshavin.
Some clubs are only prepared to bring in new faces who can feature in Europe, but the Frenchman, who is preparing for a last-16 meeting with Roma, may not go down that route.
He added: "I would like to think longer term. If the right player comes in, even if he is not available for the Champions League, his class is more important for me."
But Wenger has again insisted that any new faces must be of a higher standard than the young players currently on the books in North London.
He said: "At the moment I feel that if we do add somebody, we need to add somebody who has a special class because we have good players.
"Take a player like (Aaron) Ramsey. They show that they grow. Of course they still show lapses, a lack of experience, but they have quality and they can grow quickly."
