West Ham United 1 Arsenal 2

ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger feels whatever Chelsea and Manchester City do will dictate how much serious business is conducted during the transfer window.

The Gunners started 2010 by booking their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup when they came from behind to beat West Ham 2-1 at Upton Park yesterday.

Wenger openly admits he would like to strengthen his squad – without Holland striker Robin van Persie to a long-term injury – but remains unsure just what the January sales will bring.

He said: ‘‘As many people say – I have the money, I have the desire, but I do not have the player.

‘‘I do not know what will happen [in the transfer window generally]. Basically, it depends how the big guns – Manchester City and Chelsea – will move.

“Where will they buy? If they buy from English clubs, the market will be busy.

‘‘If they do not buy from English clubs, I think the market will be very quiet because there is not a lot of money around.’’ West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola, meanwhile, is not expecting to sell any key men – like England duo Robert Green and Matthew Upson – this month to help balance the books at Upton Park.

David Gold, who recently sold his stake in Birmingham, is ready to launch a cut-price bid to buy the debt-laden Hammers, whose Icelandic owners are open to potential offers – with a reported value of around £100m.

‘‘Bringing somebody in would be nice, but I hope that the team at least remains the same, that is the most important thing, because when we have everybody back, it is going to be a different story,’’ said Zola.

‘‘Everybody knows the financial situation.

‘‘I think we have stability and do not have big problems.

‘‘I am not expecting to have anybody leaving.

‘‘If it will change, I do not know, but I am hoping not.’’ With more pressing matters ahead in their respective Barclays Premier League campaigns at opposite ends of the table, both managers could perhaps be forgiven for their team selection.

However, once the action got under way, the encounter turned out to be a decent cup tie.

West Ham took the lead in first-half stoppage time when Alessandro Diamanti beat the offside trap to slot past reserve goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski.

However, after Wenger had sent on Abou Diaby and Samir Nasri just after the hour, the visitors got themselves back in the tie through the outstanding Aaron Ramsey before Eduardo’s looping header completed the turnaround with seven minutes left.

‘‘We had a very difficult first half, against a committed West Ham side who were committed and got caught on the break,’’ said Wenger, whose side must travel to Stoke in round four.

‘‘In the second half we played at a higher tempo and could make the difference in the final 20 minutes.’’ It was an impressive runout from Ramsey, who turned 19 on Boxing Day, and with Alex Song set to join Cameroon at the African Nations Cup and captain Cesc Fabregas sidelined by a hamstring problem, the Wales midfielder looks set for a sustained run in the side.

‘‘He improves from game to game. I set him a target at the start of the season to play between 15 and 20 games,’’ said Wenger.

‘‘It looks like he will get that very quickly.’’ Wenger believes Manchester United’s defeat at Leeds could give Sir Alex Ferguson’s men an advantage when the Champions League resumes.

The Arsenal manager said: ‘‘It is not so much for the title race that Manchester United have an advantage not to go through, it is more in the Champions League that it is a little bit conflicting with the FA Cup.

‘‘When you look at the fifth round, it is just before a Champions League game and before that, we all play in midweek.

‘‘At the moment, it is not an advantage for Manchester United in the Premier League, but in the Champions League it can become a little advantage.’’ Zola maintains his relegation battlers will be stronger in 2010.

The West Ham manager said: ‘‘I take a lot of positives from this because I have a team who are giving 100 per cent – and if we can maintain that, then, trust me, when we have everybody back this team will be tough to beat.’’