Arsene Wenger believes ensuring Cesc Fabregas, Alexander Hleb and Mathieu Flamini stay at Arsenal will be his most important task in the summer before looking to add new players to his squad. The Arsenal manager maintains his young squad does not need major surgery despite the club falling short in all major competitions, but concedes they do lack experience.

"There is money there [for transfers], but not as much as I read in the newspapers, because that is not true," Wenger said. "However, with my financial package, the first thing I have to make sure is we keep the players we have at the moment. That is what people forget.

"The new rules put you under threat to lose your best players because after three years any player can walk out [of his club] and after two any player over 28 [can leave]. So the rules and the structure of the wages bill is always under threat.

"It is not as simple as it looks when you read there is so much money available to buy players - that transfer budget also includes the improvement of the wages."

Wenger has been linked with a number of potential transfer targets, including Amauri, the Palermo striker, Hatem Ben Arfa, the Lyon winger and David Villa, the Valencia forward. "Who we will buy in the summer is not decided yet, but I have players in mind," he said. "We have lists which we keep up to date, player number one, two, three or four in the positions were we look for - and you go of course for the number one."

"I believe at some stage you need to strengthen the team, but changing the team means kick some players out and replacing them. That is not the feeling I have. I feel this team has been absolutely tremendous."

Despite another barren campaign - the 2005 FA Cup was Arsenal's last piece of silverware and it is now four years since they won the league - Wenger maintains his men are making progress. "In the last season, we have heard enough that we have not won any trophies. Then again you have to take some distance with that. "What is better? To have won the Carling Cup or to have gone in the Champions League final in 2006?

"We know it is not enough and we want to do more. But I believe not to recognise the merit of this team would be a professional mistake and I would not stand up for that. This team is tremendous and has a tremendous future. Maybe we have to add a bit of experience to all that - but we have done the main job."