Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger blasted his players for their poor performance in Milan on Tuesday night, where the Gunners lost 4-0 in Wenger’s worst ever European defeat, The Telegraph reports.
Wenger was clearly shocked at the performance, which he described as a ‘disaster’, and held a meeting with the Arsenal squad at training on Thursday. The Frenchman vented his frustrations at the players, who generally accepted that their performance was not good enough for Champions League football. Arsenal face an uphill battle to overcome the four goal deficit and now Wenger could sell several of his fringe players.
Tomas Rosicky and Andrei Arshavin both have just 18 months left on their deals at the Emirates Stadium, whereas Marouane Chamakh and Sebastien Squillaci have failed to impress Wenger. All four have been touted for moves away, as well as Nicklas Bendtner, Denilson and Carlos Vela, who are all out on loan this season. The Frenchman is tracking established players such as Cologne striker Lukas Podolski, Borussia Dortmund playmaker Mario Gotze and Lille attacker Eden Hazard.
However, failure to qualify for the Champions League this season could see Wenger lose out on the chance to sign some established players and have to resort for second-best. Wenger is also worried by the current contract situation of Robin Van Persie, whose current deal only runs until 2013, and will hope the Gunners can qualify for Europe’s elite club competition this season.
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