Arsene Wenger has promised Arsenal supporters that he will sign a new defender before the close of the transfer window.

Injuries to Per Mertesacker and Gabriel Paulista has Gunners fans screaming out for a new quality centre-half but as of yet, Wenger has made no headway.

The North London clubs remain heavily linked with Valencia's Shkodran Mustafi while Fenerbahce's Simon Kjaer, Bayer Leverkusen's Omer Toprak, Monaco's Marcel Tisserand and Atletico Madrid's Jose Gimenez are some of the other names being bandied around.

Regardless of who it is, Wenger has made it clear that Arsenal will be completing the signing of a new defender prior to the end of August even if he may not fit into the club's recruitment policy.

"Yes. We have no limit in age," said Wenger when asked if he would sign a centre-back.

"If it is a guy of 32 and we think he has the quality then we will do it. Buying calms the fans down, but it is important to spend but even more important to spend it the right way.

"I listen to every criticism that I get. But I have to analyse if it is emotional and not completely good. You have to realise what is right and what is wrong. It is part of my job. But at the end of the day, I have to make a decision that is right for the club.

"I must say I got a few signings wrong but it is impossible to make 400 signings and get none wrong. But I must say as well this club has been built around the quality of the signings. Many well-known names today have come here anonymously and made their name here.

"If Mertesacker and Gabriel had not been injured in pre-season, we would have been less under pressure to sign a defender, but once you are under pressure, everybody knows you are so it makes you weaker.

"We have been in the market a long time but if you look around in Europe, all my friends I call are all looking for centre-backs but they cannot find them."