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Olivier Giroud last night made it clear that Arsenal's players are fed up at the lack of new signings.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger goes into a make-or-break week with the club teetering on the brink of disaster with the season not even four days old.

Wenger flies out with his injury-hit squad to Fenerbahce today knowing that their whole campaign depends on getting through an incredibly difficult Champions League qualifier.

And they must do it with their preparations in tatters and on the back of a morale-sapping defeat to Aston Villa which left them counting the casualties and with the supporters' discontent ringing in their ears.

The dressing room is also beginning to lose patience with Wenger's promise to spend big having seen their transfer business turn into something of a farce.

Arsenal striker Giroud broke cover to voice his concerns and Mirror Sport understands other players have been left bemused, unhappy and questioning whether Wenger really wants to make big signings.

Giroud said: "In my opinion, it's necessary for the club to recruit another striker. Obviously, I think about it a little bit. It may change the play one day, especially if it's a high profile signing.

"It's useless lamenting this though. I know what I have to do and what I'm capable of. I'm focusing on me and my work. The coach is counting on me, so I don't think too much."

It would be easy to expect Giroud to hope Wenger does not sign another forward but the French centre forward currently has very little in the way of competition or even a strike partner to play alongside.

(Image: Clive Mason)

Giroud will lead the attack in Istanbul because there are very few other options. Arsenal appear to have been left behind by Wenger's principles and valuations. Wenger has the money - but seems unwilling to spend it.

It has left the fans frustrated and voicing their opinions and defeat to Fenerbahce will plunge Arsenal into a full scale crisis - and no Champions League football will mean they will struggle even more to attract stellar signings.

Fans have had enough and the influential Arsenal Supporters' Trust group have already called on the club to put contract negotiations with Wenger firmly on hold.

It is understood that Arsenal have now put talks with Wenger - who has one year left on his £7.5m-a-year contract - on the back burner until after the transfer window shut.

That is more about priorities than a U-turn on Wenger's future. But if Arsenal mess up this transfer window, crash out of the Champions League and make a dreadful start because they have run out of players then it would surely be impossible to rush into giving Wenger a new deal.

The more militant and outspoken Black Scarf Movement wrote an "enough is enough" letter to Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis on the back of Saturday's defeat to Aston Villa which saw thousands of fans turn on Wenger and chant: "Spend some f***ing money."

The Black Scarf Movement letter concludes: "Make no mistake, if there is not significant improvement in our playing squad over the next couple of weeks, the rapidly growing anger in the stands will become difficult to overturn.

"There hasn't been a poisonous atmosphere like this at Arsenal for over 30 years and the Board has simply stood by, while things have gone from bad to worse. I am sure you appreciate, this can no longer happen."

The frustration for the board is that there is in excess of £70m to spend - and yet they have the only manager in the Premier League who is reluctant to buy players. Most beg their chairman for more funds while Wenger tells his chief executive not to spend so much money.

(Image: Getty)

Wenger, like every manager should, has the final say on transfers in every sense: targets, how much they should pay. But Wenger's valuations appear to be the biggest obstacle in getting deals done.

They fell short on price for Gonzalo Higuain, Luis Suarez, did not want to meet Marouane Fellaini's buy-out clause and now their £10m offer for Yohan Cabaye has been rejected.

Furthermore, Wenger's indecision means his targets change depending on which way the wind is blowing. One day he wants a new keeper. The next he doesn't.

So much is written about Gazidis's failings or Arsenal's transfer fixer Dick Law, but ultimately they line-up players - as they did Wayne Rooney and Suarez - and then it is up to Wenger to give the deal the green light. Mostly, he says no-go.

That has been the story of Arsenal's summer. And after allowing 17 players - fringe players, youngsters and reserves - go, it is not just the first team which is suffering. The academy is short of players, too.

Wenger could not have seen an injury crisis which would deprive him of Thomas Vermaelen, Nacho Monreal, Mikel Arteta and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for the Champions League qualifier.

But most clubs have enough players to cover four injuries. Arsenal are struggling. They have not only failed to deliver quality in the transfer window.

Their lack of players highlights Wenger's stubbornness, raises questions about his longevity at the Emirates and whether he has lost his touch. Go out of the Champions League and most Arsenal fans would say he has.