Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger cools striker talk

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger

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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has played down talk he needs to sign a new striker this summer, claiming the 6-0 thrashing of Lyon in a pre-season friendly proves he has plenty of firepower in his squad.

The Gunners have been tipped to bring in a new frontman to challenge Olivier Giroud for his spot in the starting XI all summer, but have so far not made a move for anyone.

Arsenal director Lord Harris revealed on Friday the club have their eye on one particular striker who is interested in moving to the Emirates Stadium, although he failed to reveal who the hitman in question was.

The likes of Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have all been strongly linked with the north London outfit, but Wenger has now moved to distance himself from those reports.

Arsenal were able to put Lyon to the sword on Saturday in the Emirates Cup, with Giroud, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Alex Iwobi, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Santi Cazorla all getting on the scoresheet for the hosts.

Wenger believes the 6-0 triumph, coupled with the fact the Gunners scored the third highest amount of goals in the Premier League last season, proves he is not in desperate need of attacking reinforcements.

“We are open-minded but we are not desperate. Today we didn’t have (Danny) Welbeck or (Alexis) Sanchez, who are big players,” he said.

“(Jack) Wilshere didn’t play as well, so we will have a good squad when everyone is back. We are open-minded but many clubs are on the market with big, big money.

“At the moment our squad is well-balanced quality-wise and numbers-wise.

“When you win the FA Cup final scoring four goals and score six today, it shows scoring goals is not our problem.”

Arsenal conclude their pre-season preparations next weekend with the traditional curtain raiser, the Community Shield, at Wembley on August 2.

The FA Cup holders face league champions Chelsea for the first piece of silverware on offer, with the Gunners 3.00 to win the match. The Blues are 2.38, while the draw 3.30.

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