Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has conceded that he sympathises with Chelsea to an extent over their squad depth issues, but believes they have an easy fix.
Antonio Conte has bemoaned the size of his squad, citing a lack of depth as a problem during pre-season and after the Community Shield defeat to the Gunners.
Captain Gary Cahill has echoed those sentiments, despite the fact that the reigning Premier League champions have spent well over £100m this summer on bolstering their squad with the signings of Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Antonio Rudiger.
With Conte still reportedly unhappy about the number of players at his disposal, Wenger has given his view on the matter, but believes Chelsea have contributed to their own problems and has insisted that he doesn’t feel sorry for Arsenal’s rivals.
“Maybe, yes he has the opposite problem [to Arsenal] but if you look at the number of players that are out on loan, they can call a few back,” he is quoted as saying by The Times.
“I have sympathy for him. But do I feel sorry for Chelsea because they don’t have enough players? Then no.”
Chelsea have well over 20 players currently out on loan elsewhere in England and around Europe, with several youngsters being shipped out despite seemingly having an opportunity to offer depth at the very least.
In turn, Wenger makes a great point and Chelsea’s loan strategy is a matter that has been questioned by many in recent years. Especially with Champions League football back on the schedule for the Blues, it would surely have made sense to keep some of the players that have been sent out on loan.