Arsene Wenger looked at Southampton forward to ease crisis

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has distanced himself from rumours linking The North Londoners with a move for Southampton striker Rickie Lambert, according to Talk Sport.

Wenger, whose side visit Southampton in a crucial Premier League fixtures on Tuesday, has made strengthening his attacking line-up a priority this January, with cover needed for Olivier Giroud, as doubts remain over the Frenchman’s ability to stay the course for an entire campaign.

Lambert, who has six goals this term and finished as the highest scoring Englishman in the Premier League last campaign, has been linked with a move away from St.Mary’s along with other success stories Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez. The recent resignation of Nicola Cortese initially threw the future of Southampton’s key players into doubt, with the club looking susceptible to bids from Premier League rivals.

However, with Saints forward Lambert touted as a possible target of Wenger, Le Professeur has denied he is interested in the 31 year-old. When directly questioned about a bid to sign the England striker he replied, “We had a look at him in the Championship but no interest (now).”

Rickie Lambert has the worst passing accuracy (68%) of all Southampton’s forwards this season.