Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger insists he's capable of building a quality defence.

When Wenger arrived at Highbury in 1996 he was handed some of the Premier League's finest - and most vocal - defenders on a plate. Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Martin Keown, Lee Dixon and Nigel Winterburn were all at the club but their old manager rejects claims that he has not or cannot build a defence.

"I inherited a fantastic defence but what people forget is that it was not the unbeatable ['Invincibles'] defence, it was not the best defence," he pointed out.

"People say we never had to build a defence but that defence with Lauren, Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure and Ashley Cole was the unbeatable one. The four defenders we had were talkers as well.

"We have had quieter defenders recently but I think Mertesacker can be a talker. He will come out of himself, don't worry."