Wenger cool on Suarez saga

Arsene Wenger has played down any lingering controversy over Arsenal’s failed attempt to sign Luis Suarez, from Liverpool in the summer, although he did acknowledge their infamous £40m plus £1 bid had been slightly provocative.

Suarez heads to the Emirates today having eventually withdrawn his transfer request after Arsenal had three bids rejected. Their final offer prompted Liverpool owner John W Henry to tweet: “I don’t know what they’re smoking over there at [the] Emirates”.

Wenger laughed that off yesterday saying: “We don’t smoke here”. And the Arsenal manager denied he has any regrets about not signing Suarez, who has now scored six Premier League goals in the four games since he returned from his ban for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic last season.

“It was not the most subtle thing we could have done but it was not meant to be provocative. It could be interpreted like that but it was not done on purpose,” he said.

“I don’t want to dwell more on that because it’s one of the transfers that didn’t work.

“Every year in every club you have two or three but there’s no need afterwards to speak about it. He’s being professional — he plays there and is paid by Liverpool and that’s it.”