sport

WENGER WANTS ONE LAST GOOD BUY

Wenger - wants one more player.

Arsene Wenger believes his Arsenal squad is just one player light after Emmanuel Adebayor pledged to stay at the Emirates Stadium.

But the Gunners manager has again refused to be drawn on whether he intends to move for England international Gareth Barry.

Adebayor, 24, who smashed 30 goals last season, had been sending out mixed messages over his future during the summer, with AC Milan and Barcelona both showing a strong interest in the £35million-rated striker.

However, the striker - plucked from Monaco in January 2006 - tonight dismissed all speculation and confirmed he would be staying with the Gunners and signing a new contract extension.

The move will have come as welcome news to Wenger, who certainly could have done without another player leaving after seeing Mathieu Flamini, Alexander Hleb and Gilberto depart.

Yet despite adding 21-year-old France attacking winger Samir Nasri, Welsh teenager Aaron Ramsey and Portugal Under-21 midfielder Amaury Bischoff, the Arsenal manager concedes he would prefer to bring in another "experienced" body before the transfer deadline at the end of the month.

That could be Aston Villa's unsettled captain Barry - rated at £18million and also a summer-long target for Liverpool - although the midlands club now insisting he will be staying put.

"I don't think that the best tactic is to come out with names," said Wenger, when asked if he was set to make an 11th-hour swoop for Barry.

"If we can do one more signing we will do, it but it will need to be quality.

"We don't need money to buy someone, but it's not just to buy, it has to be the right person. That is at the moment very difficult."

Wenger - whose team were today drawn against Steve McClaren's FC Twente in their Champions League qualifier - added: "It's not a problem because we have enough young players who can step in.

"But we lost experience and if we can get a midfielder with experience who can play a tactical role we will do it."

Wenger is in no doubt his young Gunners - who set the early pace in the top-flight last season - can continue their progress and mount another sustained challenge to Manchester United and Chelsea,

"I believe we were very unlucky last season as a squad we have made a big improvement last year - we lost the Premier League by four points," he said.

"We got 14 more points than the season before so this year we want to make another step forward, challenge even more and win the title.

"We feel there is no reason why with a young squad we should be less good this year than last year."

Adebayor, meanwhile, was delighted to resolve his future following a summer of speculation, claim and counter-claim.

"When I was on holiday there was a lot of speculation, people were talking on my behalf which is not me," he insisted.

"Anyone can put what they want in the newspaper. You can do it, somebody else can do it. I never told anyone that I would be leaving this club.

"Now I can tell everyone that yes I will sign a contract.

"I have four more years contract. I am very happy that we have found a solution to stay here and my heart is with Arsenal.

"All I have to do is play my football and I know the fans always love me so there is no reason to not love me anymore because I am still here.

"I am very happy being at this club, being part of this family."

Adebayor has no intentions of resting on his laurels.

"Now the most important thing is to keep my head on my shoulders, what I did last season is behind me already," the striker said.

"What we hope to achieve is the title and the Champions League.

"It is true we are young - but we know that if we put our hearts together and we work as a family we can achieve something."

Despite finally having settled the player's future, Wenger remains unimpressed with the way some clubs "destabilise" targets rather than simply go through the proper channels.

"There is a game going on in Europe where the big clubs tap up our players," said the Arsenal manager.

"They let us do the work and develop the players and then they think they can just come in and offer him big wages - but after they cannot come up with the transfer request. It should be the other way round."

Wenger added: "The rules are quite clear. If you want a player you call the club and ask how much they want for him, are you ready to sell him?

"If it's 'no' you don't need to speak to the player, because 'no' is 'no'."

Arsenal play Juventus on Saturday afternoon in the Emirates Cup, and will then face Spanish giants Real Madrid on Sunday.

Hamburg, managed by former Tottenham boss Martin Jol, are the other side involved in the four-team tournament.

Meanwhile, Wenger maintains he has "no regrets" about letting David Bentley leave Arsenal and is pleased to have played a big part in the development of Tottenham's new £17million winger.

The 23-year-old came through the youth ranks at Highbury but found his path to the first-team blocked by the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Freddie Ljungberg.

Loan spells at Norwich and Blackburn followed before he eventually opted to head to Ewood Park permanently in January 2006 and has since forced himself into the full England squad.

Bentley is one of several players - such Steve Sidwell, Aston Villa's summer recruit from Chelsea - who have been schooled by the Gunners only to go on and find regular football elsewhere.

Wenger accepts it is a worthwhile cause, even if the eventual benefits are enjoyed by clubs other than Arsenal.

"I have no regrets," he said. "When you have many young players you cannot keep them all.

"The most important thing is that you develop them as a player and they have a big career.

"At some stage you have to consider the quality of the player and what is in front of him.

"At the time the players in front of Bentley, like Ljungberg and [Robert] Pires were better than him.

"He wanted to play more central, in the Dennis Bergkamp role, and I felt at the time he was not ready. He would be more ready today."

Wenger added: "There comes a moment when a player has to play to develop. When you feel that, you have to make a decision to let him go or keep him.

"The fact that Bentley is now a national-team player proves it was the right decision.

"We deserve praise because we were not stupid and keep the player in the reserves."

Arsenal will receive a portion of the transfer fee - around £6million - under the terms of the deal which took Bentley to Ewood Park.

Wenger said: "At youth level, you are working 90% for other clubs. Some players who are just a little bit short for you go somewhere else but you have an influence on their development.

"When you have an academy of our quality not every player can make it.

"We have two or three players now who have the quality to play for us and some others go somewhere else."