Wenger: Come out with me; I’ll prove I spend money

Mark Holmes
Arsene Wenger: Arsenal boss denied he does not like spending money

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal boss admits New Year's Day turning point

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has invited the press to accompany him on a night out so he can prove he does in fact like to spend money.

Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil were the stars of the show on Tuesday night as Arsenal kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout phase for a 16th consecutive season with a 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb at Emirates Stadium.

Sanchez and Ozil cost a combined £77 million and when it was pointed out that the two record signings had swept Arsenal to the brink of qualification despite a disastrous start to the group, Wenger laughed off his reputation as a spendthrift.

“No, I don’t agree with you. I invite you out one night and you will see that I like to spend money,” Wenger said.

“It’s you, the press, who gave me that reputation, but my friends don’t think that.”

Bayern thumped Olympiacos 4-0 to keep Arsenal in contention heading into the final round of group fixtures.

“We wanted to come out of the game with a chance to qualify. We needed to do the job and Bayern needed to do the job. Both did it well and it gives us a chance,” Wenger said.

“How big the chance is I don’t know, but I believe we can do it. If you can win 1-0 you can win 2-0 as well. For us the task has one advantage – it’s very clear.”

Dinamo Zagreb coach Zoran Mamic is backing Arsenal to produce the result they need in the Greek capital.

“They played much better than in the first match against us. It’s not easy to play against such quality players. When they put the pace on it was very difficult for us,” Mamic said

“I’m sure they can go through. They have a good chance. They are a higher quality team than Olympiacos and my opinion is that they will go through.”

More: Wenger: Breaks make Sanchez more tired than playing