Monday 30 January 2017 06:29, UK
Arsene Wenger has joked Arsenal's detractors "would like to put me in jail" in response to suggestions his four-match touchline ban for pushing a fourth official was too lenient.
Wenger watched on from the stands as Arsenal thrashed Southampton 5-0 at St Mary's on Saturday to progress into the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Arsenal boss was fined £25,000 and given a four-game touchline ban for verbally abusing and pushing fourth official Anthony Taylor during his side's 2-1 Premier League win over Burnley on January 22.
Wenger insists he accepted the charge purely in a bid to move forward, but still claimed some critics will never be satisfied with punishments meted out to him.
"Those who don't like me, any sentence will be too lenient," said Wenger.
"They would like to put me in jail somewhere without anything in the middle of winter - and that will still be lenient.
"My reaction [to the ban] is what I said after the game. Let's not bring this situation back again.
"I do not want to judge what the judge says. I got a sentence and I decided not to appeal just to get this behind me. There is no need for me to come back on that."
Wenger was more impressed by matters on the pitch, however, where Danny Welbeck's first goals in eight months spearheaded Arsenal's stroll past Southampton, with Theo Walcott also grabbing a hat-trick.
The Frenchman believes Welbeck is effectively a new signing, with the 26-year-old finally appearing ready to end 20 months of knee injury problems.
"Yes it feels like I have many new strikers because I think [Lucas] Perez played very well as well and I left [Olivier] Giroud at home," added Wenger.
"The problem will now be to find the right combination which will use them well in games. The result is strong with the balance of the team.
"When you look around you on the bench and you have this sort of player [Welbeck] coming on or when he starts it is somebody else. He gives us more quality going forward.
"We [have] Perez and Walcott and Danny Welbeck and I have [Alexis] Sanchez on the bench, it is an exceptional quality. For a long time we did not have the offensive quality available."
Watch Arsenal's crucial London derby with Chelsea on February 4. Coverage from Stamford Bridge begins at 11:30am on Sky Sports 1 HD.
