Platini slams Wenger young guns
Platini beat Lennart Johansson to the Uefa presidency in January
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Tuesday, 30, Oct 2007 11:12
Uefa president Michael Platini has attacked fellow Frenchman Arsene Wenger over his tactic of luring the world's best young talent to Arsenal.
The Emirates boss has rebuilt his team using an extensive scouting network and an aggressive approach to snaring the finest young players from rival clubs.
But Platini is concerned that the policy is weakening the game as a whole by stripping clubs in lower-profile leagues of any hope of closing the gap on the game's elite.
"I do not like the system of Arsene Wenger. In France, Italy and Spain it is easy to buy with money the best players at 14, 15 or 16. I don't like that," he said.
"If the best clubs buy the best 15 or 16 players that is finished for all the clubs in Europe. If my son is playing at Millwall and at 16 Manchester come in for this player then when will Millwall have a good team?"
Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas has been a key part of the Gunners' recent impressive form, but was part of Barcelona's set-up until he was captured at the age of 16 on the brink of signing senior forms with the Catalan giants.
Similarly Mexican wonder-kid Carlos Vela has been "parked" on loan at various Spanish clubs by Wenger while the north London side await a work permit for a player they signed at 16 from Chivas de Guadalajara.
Arsenal have profited financially as well as on the playing field from the policy. After prising a 17-year-old Nicolas Anelka from Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 17 in 1997, they went on to sell him to Real Madrid for £22.3 million just over two years later.