Arsene Wenger admits the result of Arsenal transfer policy this summer is 'not what we wanted'

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended his transfer policy after the club were left with just two recognised senior strikers, following Danny Welbeck being ruled out until Christmas with a knee injury. Welbeck has not played since April and is set for a prolonged absence, which the French boss refused to cover in the final days of the transfer window.

The Gunners were the only team in Europe's top five divisions to not sign an outfield player during the summer, with Petr Cech their only the acquisition. Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud will lead the line for the North Londoners for the first half of the season, but Welbeck's absence leaves the club with wafer-thin resources.

Yet to score a goal at home this season, Arsenal are already five points adrift of leaders Manchester City heading into the resumption of the campaign. In an effort to overhaul that deficit, Wenger says he is confident he has the adequate firepower.

"In the end the solutions were not what we wanted," he said prior to the Premier League visit of Stoke City, according to The Mirror. "We looked but you have to find an efficient solution. I am confident that we have enough quality and cover. The good news about the window shutting is that we can now focus on the football.

"Look at what happened on the transfer market and it tells you there is a shortage out there. The solutions we had were not convincing at all. We have [Alexis] Sanchez, Giroud and Walcott. We have quality and can score goals."

Giroud is likely to be entrusted with leading the line when Arsenal return to Premier League action, although the France international suffered a harrowing time during the international break. Despite Giroud booed when replaced by Karim Benzema during the friendly against Serbia and admitting afterwards that he needs "to correct a few things", Wenger has no such concerns.

"He has my full support," the Arsenal boss added. "It's difficult for any player after they miss chances. I'm confident we can score goals, I have no worries about that."