Wenger hits out at ´political´ Spanish clubs

Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger on Friday hit out at the “political” nature of Spanish clubs amid attempts by Barcelona to lure their former youth star Cesc Fabregas back to the Nou Camp.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has a year to go under his current mandate and wants to bolster his chances of retaining his boardroom influence by getting Fabregas back six years after he headed for London as a 16-year-old.

Laporta’s rival Sandro Rosell also sees the potential capture of Fabregas as a means of taking boardroom control, but Wenger says it’s time the Spanish stopped using high-profile transfers as a means of conducting their internal political battles.

“It does not help football and does not help people to focus on their job and is sometimes destabilising. The way Spanish clubs are run is more political than sport orientated,” Wenger opined.

“How much does that harm other clubs? It is difficult to measure, but it does not help other clubs when somebody who has, for example, no chance to be elected next year as president, can announce any name.

“What can you do against him? Nothing. Does that help other clubs? Certainly not.”

With Arsenal having not won a trophy since their 2005 FA Cup win eyebrows have been raised in some quarters at Wenger’s insistence that he does not brandish his chequebook after the manner of Real Madrid or Barcelona.

Following the sale to new English Premier League moneybags Manchester City of striker Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure, Arsenal had been expected to struggle to retain their top four status this term.

But they started off by thrashing Everton 6-1 away and are as good as in the Champions League group stage after a 2-0 win away to Celtic in the first leg of their play-off.

“I feel we have started well and we have shown some potential,” Wenger noted of his side’s good start.

“We are in a marathon here and it just started.”

Arsenal’s one new signing to date is defender Thomas Vermaelen in place of Toure and the Belgian international promptly scored at Everton and has looked solid.

“He is a player who has intelligence, physical strength and a good technical level.

“If you analyse him well you see that he has all the ingredients needed to be successful in the Premier League,” said Wenger of Vermaelen.