Arsene Wenger on Tuesday rejected speculation linking Arsenal to Corinthians’ striker Alexandre Pato and Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morataduring the January transfer window, despite reportsearlier in the day claiming that Morata had already been signed on a six-month loan. During the press conference ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League match against Hull City on Wednesday,Wenger was asked about the Gunners’ likely transfer dealings, especially the perceived need to find cover for first-choice striker Olivier Giroud.
“No, there’s notruth in that. That’s all I can say,” Wenger replied when asked about Pato and Morata. “I’m not in touch with them. I am not concerned about that [new signings]. We have at themoment Yaya Sanogo who is a striker we brought in during the summer, who is coming back from injury in January. Hopefully he will help us in the second part of the season.” Wenger also pointed outthat forward Lukas Podolski is set to resume full training this week after a lengthy injury spell.
The Frenchman also noted that with seven EPL matches coming up this month,squad rotation would be key. “I rotate considering the level of fatigue. We have some indications, some objective data and as well some positions where it’s more demanding on the physicalfront than others,” he said. “We have so many games that in some positions I will have to change; the full-back position is one that is very demanding. Central defense is a little bit lessdemanding on the physical side, it’s more on the concentration side.”