Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has played down speculation of a potentially controversial move for Fulham’s Dimitar Berbatov.
The striker, formerly of Tottenham and Manchester United, has been linked with Arsenal in recent days and mooted as a possible short-term solution to bolster Wenger’s attacking options as the Premier League leaders bid to remain at the top of the table.
However, despite recent injuries to Olivier Giroud and Nicklas Bendtner, Berbatov is not a transfer target for the Emirates Stadium club.
“What I can tell you is that from the last game we of course lost Nicklas Bendtner” said Wenger in his pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup third-round showdown with Arsenal’s bitter north London rivals Tottenham.
“We don’t know how serious his injury is at the moment because he had a scan (on Thursday).
His scan will be assessed (on Friday). It depends on how long he will be out for, but it would be one of the factors for going into the transfer market, yes.
“I don’t want to go into any speculation on any specific name because that would not help where the player plays at the moment and would be disrespectful to the player’s club.
“At the moment we are just considering our options. I must confess they are quite restricted.
“But Berbatov is not a name that we have considered at the moment. We have not even been out on the transfer market, we have not contacted anybody.”
Berbatov, 32, has scored four goals in 15 Premier League appearances this season as Fulham battle for survival at the opposite end of the table.
The former Bulgaria international’s future at Craven Cottage has been the subject of much debate over recent months, but the arrival of Rene Meulensteen as head coach has sparked a change in fortunes with Berbatov netting in his side’s last three games.
