Arsene Wenger has admitted that he would like to bring in reinforcements in the January transfer window to bolster his Arsenal side's faltering title challenge but does not know the club will make the necessary cash available.
A late goal from William Gallas scraped a 1-0 win for the Gunners against Portsmouth on Sunday to keep their faint title hopes alive, however they still trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by 10 points.
Wenger knows his side must improve in the second half of the season but is hamstrung by long-term injuries which rule out Cesc Fabregas, Tomas Rosicky and Theo Walcott.
''I want a creative midfielder,'' he told Canal+. ''That is to say a second midfielder, because my team is right in terms of manpower and experience.
''[But] I can't spend money I don't have. The [global financial] crisis is upon us and we feel it at the club.''
One player Arsenal have been linked with is Zenit St Petersburg playmaker Andrei Arshavin. However, Wenger refused to confirm he is chasing the Russia forward. ''There's no point in giving me names,'' he added.
Meanwhile, Wenger wants his controversial former captain Gallas to carry on scoring in the Arsenal cause.
Gallas, who was stripped of the captaincy after several flashpoints during his tenure, scored the late header that secured all three points for Arsenal in the win over Pompey.
There were rumours Wenger would try to offload Gallas but Wenger has insisted he does not want to sell any players in the January transfer window, which opens on Thursday.
Wenger said: ''He answers everybody by his performance on the pitch and that's what you do when you are a great player. He started as a striker and looks most likely to score at set-pieces. He has good timing to attack the ball.''
The Frenchman also believes that his current injury-plagued side has received more unfair flak than any previous Arsenal team he has managed.
He said: ''The team is maturing and has shown great mental strength in the past few weeks. ''No team since I have been here has got as bad publicity and I don't think it is fair because they have got great character. I want them to get rewarded for their character.''
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