ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger has called off the search for a striker following the return to fitness of Nicklas Bendtner.

The Gunners had been linked with a host of names, including West Ham's Carlton Cole and Dutchman Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, but Wenger claimed he was no longer in the market for a frontman.

“We are not after a striker at the moment,” he said ahead of Wednesday's crucial Premier League clash with Aston Villa.

Bendtner looks set to be included in the squad to face Martin O'Neill's side after three months out with a hernia and groin injury, while Samir Nasri is also expected to take his place on the bench after shrugging off a hamstring injury.

With Arsenal sitting top of the league's leading scorers chart, Wenger has resisted the temptation to dip into the market, despite making it clear at the beginning of the transfer window this month that he would buy at the right price.