Arsene Wenger's deadline day text messages

With important transfer business still needing to be done, Arsene Wenger spent deadline day in Rome for the Pope's Match for Peace. The following is a transcript of the text messages exchanged by Wenger and Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis throughout the day. 

Wenger: Please keep me informed today, Ivan. Maybe a good deed on this day will bring us good karma. Does the Pope believe in karma? :-/

Gazidis: I don't think so. Not sure.

Wenger: Grrrrr.

Gazidis: Don't worry Arsene, I'm confident things will go our way today. I'll keep you posted.

Wenger: Thx.

****

Gazidis:  Danny Welbeck’s here with the England squad. His agent offered him to us. Interested?

Wenger: Lololololololololol.

Gazidis: Ok.

Wenger: What's the dealio with Falcao?

Gazidis: Monaco want a £10m loan fee, player wants £346,000 a week. Man Utd, maybe City also interested.

Wenger: For a 28-year-old with one knee? Let United have him. They can tie him and Van Persie together and create one player with two good knees on four times the wages.

Gazidis: Haha ok.

Wenger: :-))

****

Wenger: Any other forwards? I'm starting to get the Sanogo sweats...

Gazidis: Welbeck could be best option. Wants a permanent deal, no loan. United closing in on Falcao.

Wenger: Uggggghhhhhh. Roberto Baggio is here. Maybe I should ask him to come out of retirement.

Gazidis: Haha.

Wenger: Baggio said no. Damn.

Wenger: Shevchenko overheard my offer, but I avoided his attempts to make eye contact.

****

Gazidis: So...Welbeck?

Wenger: Uggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. There's a little kid sitting behind me. I'll ask him if he wants to play for us.

Gazidis: I'll have Welbeck do a medical just in case.

Wenger: Kid doesn't speak English. Had no idea what I was saying.

Wenger: Ok on Welbeck medical. Just deny it if anyone asks. ;-)

Gazidis: Will do.

Wenger: ;-)

****

Gazidis: Running out of time...

Wenger: Ffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Gazidis: Go on Welbeck? Also, I just remembered that you said you wanted a center back a couple weeks ago.

Wenger: Fine. Yes. Welbeck could work maybe. He's young. He's been playing out of position. Maybe United didn't F him up too much. Ok, let's do this. This could work. Whatever.

Wenger: Just don't pay more than what Liverpool paid for Balotelli. That comparison could make this deal look better for us when Mario decides he wants to be a chef in Tibet next year.

Wenger: As for CB...William Gallas still unattached?

Gazidis: Are you being serious? Sarcasm sometimes gets lost in text messages. 

Wenger: Yes. Serious. :-/

****

Gazidis: Welbeck done. Have a statement for the press release?

Wenger: No thanks.

Gazidis: Ok. Here's the release. 

Wenger: Lost the charity match...thanks for asking.

Gazidis: Sorry.

Wenger: Never relying on Pope karma again.

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Cesc Fabregas: Arsenal's Arsene Wenger says he has no regrets

 

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has no regrets over his decision not to re-sign Cesc Fabregas this summer.

Spain midfielder Fabregas, 27, made an impressive Premier League debut for London rivals Chelsea as they won 3-1 at Burnley on Monday.

Arsenal had a buy-back option on Fabregas, who left for Barcelona in 2011, but decided not to exercise it.

"I have no regret about that at all. My regret is that he left," said Wenger, whose side play Everton this weekend.

Fabregas, who played 305 games for the Gunners, eventually joined Chelsea on a five-year deal, ending his three-year stay at Barca.

The midfielder played a part in all three goals against Burnley and Wenger admitted it was "strange" to see his former player in the blue of Chelsea.

"It was difficult for him to leave us, but after that you accept he can move to some different clubs," he added.

Wenger believes Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey, 23, is more than filling the void left by Fabregas.

"What is good in life is that someone moves out and someone else takes over and he has developed," he said. "He is younger than Cesc and the potential is there to get more out of him."

Wenger added that Ramsey's dismissal during Tuesday's 0-0 draw at Besiktas and an ankle injury suffered by captain Mikel Arteta in the same game had left him considering a move for a defensive midfielder.

Wenger admits he does not know how long Arteta will be sidelined, adding: "He had a scan on Wednesday afternoon. I haven't got the result... I don't know how long he will be out for. We will be a bit short, of course.

"If it is a long-term injury, that puts us in a position where we have to be creative.

"We are open as well to any opportunity, until the end of the transfer window, who can strengthen our defensive department in quality and number."

Arsenal expect to be boosted this weekend by the return of their trio of German World Cup winners, Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Mesut Ozil.

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