ROUND-UPARSENE WENGER is in no doubt Arsenal's stunning Champions League win over AC Milan "unsettled" their season - because it alerted other teams to the wealth of talent in his squad.
The Arsenal boss is currently fulfilling media and sponsor commitments at the European Championships, and admits as such he has been able to maintain a "little distance" from all the speculation surrounding the future of some of his key men.
Milan continue to be linked with a move for leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor, while winger Alexander Hleb is reported to be on the wish list of several top European sides, including Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Wenger's young side led the Premier League for much of the last campaign, and also impressed in Europe where they knocked holders Milan out in the San Siro in March.
However, the French coach feels that victory came at a price - with agents then suddenly on red alert.
"That game in Milan did us a lot of good, but also some bad," Wenger said in the July issue of the official Arsenal magazine.
"Overall it was a convincing team performance and we gained a lot of credit all over the world through that game - but also maybe at that time a lot of clubs became interested in our players.
"This game for me unsettled our season.
"Many clubs do not work as well as we do, and do not give a chance to young players so they looked at the quality of team display in that game, and it attracted a lot of keen clubs.
"Others teams and agents started to look at our players, releasing stories into the press, and it had a disturbing influence on us.
"From then on there were always stories about better contracts on offer elsewhere and it could be said that it really disturbed inside the dressing room, but I think the team has learned to cope with it."
Wenger feels his young squad will be much "stronger" from the experiences of last season.
He said: "The psychological side is part of the learning process.
"This is a young side, at the start of a cycle, and they have had to learn from all types of pressures — from the environment, from the press, from the games, and they will be stronger next year."
Wenger has already moved to bolster his options for the new campaign following the capture of promising teenage Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey from under the noses of rivals Manchester United.
A €16.3 million move for Marseille's Samir Nasri is also expected to be completed shortly, going some way to offset the loss of combative midfielder Mathieu Flamini - who walked out to join AC Milan on a free transfer - while Wenger is also a keen admirer of Russia's Andrei Arshavin.
Wenger has, though, always maintained Adebayor, 24, is not for sale, despite the player's representative, Vincenzo Morabito, being confident a deal can be reached.
"Milan have already stated their position, while Arsenal have started moving in the market in the hunt for an attacker to replace Adebayor," Morabito said on Italian television.
"Until that search ends the deal won't move forward but I am quite optimistic because Arsenal are looking for a player . . . I'd say there's a 70 to 80 per cent chance Adebayor will go to Milan."
Wenger accepts Arsenal do not always match the lucrative deals on offer elsewhere, with Milan said to be ready to offer the Togo striker a massive wage hike to around €151,300 a week.
With Eduardo still on the road to recovery back from a broken leg, Wenger cannot afford to lose his main goal provider.
Nevertheless, potential replacements could include Liverpool and England striker Peter Crouch, with Portsmouth reported to have seen a €11.3 million bid rejected, as well as Blackburn's Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz and Stuttgart frontman Mario Gomez - who would all be available at the right price.
