“Arsenal can only afford loan signings”- Unai Emery

Arsenal can only afford to loan players during the January transfer window and cannot make permanent signings, says manager Unai Emery.

The Gunners, who signed five first-team players in the summer window, have been strongly linked with a move for Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez.

"I don't know now his [Suarez's] situation but we can only sign on a loan," Emery said.

"We cannot sign permanently. We can only loan players."

Arsenal spent around £70m on four players last summer - Lucas Torreira, Matteo Guendouzi, Sokratis and Bernd Leno with Stephan Lichtsteiner also arriving on a free transfer - and signed striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyangfor a club record £56m in January 2018.

Emery also praised the attitude of midfielder Aaron Ramsey who is set to leave the club at the end of the season when his contract ends.

The Wales international, 28, has been in talks with a number of European clubs and can agree a pre-contract agreement with a foreign side before moving in the summer for free.

Ramsey, who is Arsenal's longest-serving player and has played 356 times for the Gunners since joining in 2008, came close to agreeing a new contract at Arsenal.

But that offer was withdrawn by the club in September for football and financial reasons.

"I say to him every day, is that we need his performance for us," Emery said.

"In the last match I was very happy with him. I asked in the last match at Blackpool if he is OK to help us play and he said, 'Yeah, coach, I want to play' and he played with a very big behaviour and commitment to us.

"After, his future belongs to him, his family and agent. Every day he's here with us, he's working very well.

"I want his behaviour and his focus to be on West Ham on Saturday."

FROM  .bbc.com/sport/football