Same again for Arsenal's next title bid
Arsene Wenger is ready to take on Manchester United for the Premiership title next season with virtually the same squad of players who are trailing miles behind this term.
The Arsenal boss believes the best is still to come from this season's Highbury newcomers Robert Pires, Sylvain Wiltord, Lauren and Edu.
They wwere all recruited with the £30million Arsenal received from Barcelona for Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit last summer.
It will be enough, he hopes, to make a much stronger challenge to United than this season and last, when Sir Alex Ferguson's team skated home by 18 points having regained the crown from Arsenal by just a single point the previous year.
And Wenger insists he is not jealous of the £50million reportedly promised by United for Ferguson to build an even stronger squad than the one that will wrap up the title for a third consecutive campaign if they beat Coventry and Arsenal crash at home to Middlesbrough.
"The transfer market is not my worry at the moment," said Wenger, "We will probably bring in one or two new players in the summer but not more.
"I am very hopeful we will keep together the players we have at the moment. I want to do that. Everybody seems happy here and wants to stay. I would find it very frustrating if anybody left.
"We want to get at least much closer to Manchester United next season and so do many other clubs. Hopefully, that will be the case but it is never easy.
"For instance if Fulham are promoted from the First Division that makes it more difficult for a London club to win the championship because it means one more derby match.
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"Every match we play is a difficult one already because other teams always seem to raise their standard against Arsenal. They all have a go at us.
"This season we have done quite well. We have reached the FA Cup final and the quarter-finals of the Champions League and are still in it. But until lately, we have not mastered consistency and that has to do with many things.
"We have missed key players for too long through injuries and it is always difficult for new players to settle in. People have taken time to adapt. Now I believe they will be much better for the first year they have had in the Premiership."
