Arsene Wenger has no intention of letting Theo Walcott or any other of his youngsters out on loan as Arsenal are "very short" on numbers.The Gunners - who host Newcastle in the fourth round of the FA Cup on 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 star 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 Championship battlers 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."

Wenger 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 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."

He 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."

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