Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been accused of lying to fans after not revealing Danny Welbeck’s knee surgery before the transfer deadline.
The club last week decided to operate on the England striker’s left knee and it is expected he will be out until at least Christmas.
Fans are angry that Wenger — who said he expected Welbeck to be fit after the international break — did not make public the player’s setback and suspect it was to avoid being pressurised into signing a forward.
The Gunners were the only Premier League club not to sign an outfield player during the summer window and Gary Neville said Wenger was ‘naive or arrogant’ for believing his side were good enough to compete for the title. Peter Wood, author of the influential Le Grove blog, told Sportsmail: ‘It’s lying to the fans and to keep it from us leaves a sour taste. It’s embarrassing. Wenger knows it would have put huge pressure on him to go out and sign a striker.
‘For some reason, he seems to be going out of his way not to sign the players we need.
‘It’s left us in a bad position and another season looks certain to pass without winning the Premier League or challenging for the Champions League.’
Welbeck has not played since April and the loss of the 24-year-old leaves Wenger with just Olivier Giroud as an out-and-out striker.
Arsenal, who have failed to score on home soil this season, were linked with Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema and PSG’s Edinson Cavani but made no firm offers. – Daily Mail