Is Arsène Wenger secretly an 'MLS snob'?
A few weeks ago, the Arsenal honcho called for a North American-style spring-through-fall schedule in the Premier League, and today he suggested a salary cap for the top English league, which he says would be the fairest way to crown a true champion.
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“The real, real true test would be to give 100 million pounds to all the 20 clubs in the Premier League and say ‘let’s go’,” Wenger told reporters at a press conference today ahead of tomorrow's crucial match against Manchester City.
“That is the real test. Then you can say at the end of the year, the best club has won. The real, real test would be that everybody has exactly the same resources."
The Frenchman was careful to point out that he sees nothing wrong with City's free-spending ways, "as long as they respect the rules."
Wenger's opinions on the matter were shared when reporters asked him about City's philosophies on team-building, especially in light of that club's 30 million pound signing of Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko today.
“I personally am a big fan of the way we do it, so I try to be successful with the way we do it," he said, referring to Arsenal's long-standing tradition of buying relatively cheap younger players and bringing them along. "You can also do it the way Inter do, or Manchester City do, they buy the best players in the world, and it works as well."
It's unsurprising that Wenger would favour a more steadfast approach to building a roster, but it's still interesting that he would suggest a cap similar to that used in MLS (albeit with a much higher ceiling) when many fans loathe the North American salary restrictions.
Some other transfer talk from around Europe Tuesday:
England
- Liverpool's Daniel Agger has demanded either more playing time or to be moved from the club.
- Blackburn boss Steve Kean says his club's bids for Ronaldinho and David Beckham indicates ambition. Meanwhile, Chelsea have bowed out of the race to get Beckham on loan, but Spurs and Sunderland are still in the running.
- Hull City have bought James Chester from Manchester United for £300,000.
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Steve Sidwell's move to West Ham from Aston Villa is on hold as the player considers offers from other clubs.
Italy
- Tottenham starlet Gareth Bale has drawn interest from Italian giants Juventus, Inter and AC Milan, according to his agent.
- Genoa is prepared to buy Gabriel Milito from Barcelona.
- Chilean international Alexis Sanchez has decided to leave Udinese, and is linked with Inter.
Holland
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Mido leaves Ajax after only four months.
Scotland
- Rangers are set to sign Kilmarnock goalkeeper Cammy Bell on a free, ahead of the summer transfer window.