Wenger reluctant to ship out fringe players

The Mail Online understands that Arsene Wenger has no intention of selling members of his squad in January merely to aid their World Cup hopes.

A number of Gunners players have managed only a few league starts this season with England duo Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott and France international Olivier Giroud barely featuring.

All three have been linked with moves away from the Emirates Stadium with Everton eyeing Walcott and Giroud while a number of clubs are monitoring Wilshere’s situation.

However, Wenger has insisted that he will not sanction any sales that could make his squad weaker as they attempt to challenge on four fronts.

Whilst the league title is almost certainly out of their reach, they are keen to get back into the top four while they are still in the EFL Cup and Europa League, while they begin their quest to retain the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest next month.