Arsenal were goalless at the Emirates Stadium once more on Monday night, and manager Arsène Wenger confirmed after the game that Karim Benzema won’t be joining the club.

The entire summer has been filled with reports of Arsenal’s interest in the Real Madrid striker but, quite simply, it’s impossible to sign a player when his club refuses to sell him.

Benzema himself took to Twitter to rubbish rumours on Monday and the Arsenal manager admitted after the 0-0 draw with Liverpool that a transfer won’t happen.

“That story [is dead] but it has always been created every week, again and again,” Wenger told the media.

“We do not master that situation. When the player has a contract it’s the club who owns the contract who decides that and I have said that many times.”

This was a transfer that was only going to be possible if and when Real Madrid decided to sell the player, and that doesn’t seem likely to happen.

Wenger is still confident that his squad, and the attacking options at his disposal, will be enough through the course of the season.

“We had Wilshere and Welbeck out tonight, Alexis is not completely at his best,” the boss added. “We know that we can score goals and we will score goals again.”

Arsenal also have players like Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, both of whom came off the bench on Monday. With those attacking players any time we struggle to create or score is almost certainly down to the balance of the team and individual performances, rather than there not being enough talent on the pitch.