Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was shocked when Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri quit the club for Barcelona and Manchester City in the summer.

The Mail on Sunday says Wenger's friends concede that he was shaken by the events of the summer when Nasri and Fabregas quit the club, despite the manager believing he could persuade at least one of them to stay.

It was this as well as an unwillingness to compromise Arsenal's negotiating positions which led Wenger to delay signing replacements, such as Santi Carzola, who moved to Malaga instead of Arsenal, and Juan Mata, who eventually joined Chelsea.