Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted he will not spend for the sake of it but vowed to delve into the January transfer market if the right player is available.
The Frenchman has kept a close eye on expenditure at Arsenal, particularly following the move from Highbury to the Emirates Stadium, but now finances are in a good place he is prepared to buy - as long as the deal is right.
Read more: Sanchez’s Arsenal form rubbing salt in Liverpool’s wounds, writes Richard Jolly
Wenger, whose side play Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, said: “I’ve said that many times, without any doubt: if we find the right player we will do (a deal).
“There’s a huge difference between the perception that people have of me: I’m not scared to spend money.
“It was periods where we had not the money. What I don’t like is to spend the money I haven’t got.
“What I fought against is to spend money that would put the future of the club in danger.
“Now I have money. No problem at all.”
Wenger has faced criticism this season after familiar defensive concerns resurfaced, with many believing he should have strengthened in defence and defensive midfield last summer.
The Frenchman maintains Arsenal’s back line is improving and knows the importance of a strong rearguard at the business end of the season.
“We are getting better,” he added.
“We have to show that in the final part of the season. Without defensive solidity you have no future.”
The Gunners boss, who has been in charge for 18 years, was jeered by a small group of Arsenal supporters following the loss at Stoke.
Asked if that was his lowest point in charge, Wenger said: “The lowest you feel is when you lose games. I felt very low because we lost a game we should not lose and the way we conceded was very disappointing. I can put it in perspective.”
Wenger has been pleased with the response of his Arsenal side since the defeat, beating Galatasaray 4-1 and Newcastle 4-0.
“We got a lot of criticism and I think we responded well, because we scored eight goals in the next two games,” Wenger added.
“It shows two things: first that the group is healthy, because it can respond to disappointment and has good unity.
“The second thing is that we have learned from that; I hope and am confident that we have learned from that.
“Even in the game against Stoke, when you look at the game again, we were poor defensively, but going forward we were not disastrous.
“We finished with 10 men when we were down 3-2. We could’ve come back and won it. We had a bad start, but the response was positive.”
Liverpool scored four times in the opening 20 minutes the last time Arsenal visited Anfield, eventually prevailing 5-1.
There have been numerous changes since, not least in personnel, with Luis Suarez leaving Liverpool for Barcelona, who sold Alexis Sanchez to Arsenal.
Sanchez has scored 14 times in his first 24 Gunners appearances, hitting the ground running to provoke comparisons with Thierry Henry, perhaps only because the former Arsenal forward announced his retirement this week.
“He has a way to go and a few goals as well,” Wenger said.
“(There are) similarities, but Thierry has shown that in a consistent way.
“I’m confident that Sanchez can do it, but I do not have that in my mind.
“What I want is just that he plays well collectively with the team. We have a special way to play and he has to integrate that.
“He has less of the stature (of Henry) to play centrally. But even centrally he can be an interesting option when the physical part doesn’t work. He is more mobile.
“When I played football I was at the back (in defence). I was at ease with a tall guy, but I didn’t like playing a smaller guy who was very mobile, turns very quickly. Sometimes he can be a different solution.”
English Premier League results & fixtures
Saturday
Manchester City 3 Crystal Palace 0
Aston Villa 1 Manchester United 1
Hull City 0 Swansea City 1
Queens Park Rangers 3 West Bromwich Albion 2
Southampton 3 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 2 Burnley 1
West Ham United 2 Leicester City 0
Sunday (in UAE time)
Newcastle United v Sunderland, 5.30pm
Liverpool v Arsenal, 8pm
Monday
Stoke City v Chelsea, midnight
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Results
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) US$100,000 (Dirt) 2,000m, Winner Bandar, Fernando Jara (jockey), Majed Al Jahouri (trainer).
7.05pm Meydan Classic Listed (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner Well Of Wisdom, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m, Winner Star Safari, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
8.15pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner Moqarrar, Fabrice Veron, Erwan Charpy.
8.50pm Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 2 (TB) $300,000 (T) 2,810m, Winner Secret Advisor, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
9.25pm Curlin Stakes Listed (TB) $175,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner Parsimony, William Buick, Doug O’Neill.
10pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m, Winner Simsir, Ronan Whelan, Michael Halford.
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m, Winner Velorum, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
Saturday's results
Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City
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