LONDON - Arsene Wenger has no intention of letting Theo Walcott or any other of his Arsenal youngsters out on loan.
The Gunners - who host Newcastle in the fourth round of the FA Cup Saturday - are still smarting from the midweek mauling at arch-rivals Tottenham, as Juande Ramos' men booked their place in the Carling Cup final at Wembley after a resounding 5-1 win.
Walcott started the game at White Hart Lane from a central attacking role, having netted an equaliser in the first leg.
However, the England Under-21 international produced only an average display.
Wenger accepts Walcott, who turns 19 in March, is not where he was expected to be after two years with Arsenal - but maintains "he will get there" following what has been a rollercoaster ride after a big-money move from Southampton and subsequent controversial inclusion in Sven-Goran Eriksson's ill-fated 2006 World Cup squad.
There have been suggestions the Arsenal manager could now be ready to let Walcott, who has battled back to match fitness following a shoulder problem, spend some time away from Emirates Stadium, with Liverpool and Coca-Cola Championship promotion hopefuls Stoke both said to be keen on a loan deal.
However, the Arsenal manager maintains he needs all of his squad as they enter a crucial phase of the season - especially given Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue and Alex Song are all away at the African Nations Cup while striker Robin van Persie remains sidelined.
"No, because we are very short," said Wenger when asked whether anyone would now be allowed to go on loan following the Carling Cup exit.
Wenger told Arsenal TV Online: "We have 17 players at the moment, and you could see with the players who were on the bench at Tottenham that they should not have been on the bench there."
The Arsenal manager maintains the Carling Cup experience, which last year took his young side to the final in Cardiff, was all part of the learning process, and accepts those youngsters may currently lack "maturity" in such situations.
However, Wenger insists he made the right decision not to gamble with the fitness of senior men.
He said: "My focus is on different targets now - it was never the main focus of the season.
"Our main targets are the championship and the Champions League. We prioritise that from now on."
Tuesday night's match was overshadowed somewhat by an angry confrontation between Arsenal strikers Emmanuel Adebayor and Nicklas Bendtner during the closing stages.
The incident, in which Bendtner appeared to complain of a headbutt from his team-mate, was investigated by the Football Association.
However, on review, along with referee Howard Webb, they decided any evidence was inconclusive and no formal disciplinary action should be taken, although both players have been "reminded of their responsibilities" in written letters from the game's governing body.
Adebayor has issued an apology, while Arsenal appear to have laid down their own sanctions.
Wenger said: "There is always action taken when it is needed.
"I believe from then on it is better for us not to talk about it any more."
The Arsenal manager added: "You want to deal with that internally, but disagreements are part of the game as well.
"Every single manager will be surprised what has been made of that story, but that is part of being at Arsenal.
"We want to know what kind of incident happened, but we will deal with this without any problem.
"We will even use this to be conscious of how much every incident, even a minor one, can be interpreted on the outside and that will even improve our togetherness inside the team."
Wenger is likely to again rotate his squad for what will be the first of two visits in the space of four days by a rejuvenated Newcastle.
The Arsenal manager has won the FA Cup four times since arriving in England just over a decade ago.
Indeed, it was the last trophy the Gunners lifted, in 2005.
However, this season Wenger maintains he will not let passion for the famous old knockout trophy override the club's ambitions elsewhere.
"We want to do well in the FA Cup. At the moment, there is no choice to make - we want to bounce back after the disappointment of Tuesday night," he said.
"When I will be in a situation where I have to choose between the FA Cup, the championship or the Champions League, I will prioritise the two other competitions.
"At the moment, the FA Cup is the next game, and we want to win the next game."
Wenger is keen to get the upper hand ahead of the Barclays Premier League meeting between the clubs next Tuesday night.
He said: "It is difficult, but you focus on winning the first match, which then might help you win the second one because you have a psychological edge."
The Frenchman, meanwhile, is glad to see Kevin Keegan back in the game, after the former England striker returned to St James' Park last week.
"Maybe he gave them the lift they needed," said Wenger.
"Everybody lives with their personality, but at the end of the day it is about making the right decisions for the club. Kevin has done that very successfully in the past."
