Arsene Wenger has hit out at Manchester City’s new billionaire owners.
The Abu Dhabi United Group are currently in the process of buying the Blues from former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and they have vowed to make the club the dominant force in world football.
They smashed the British transfer record to land Robinho from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day and have set their sights on the likes of Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
Wenger has criticised the transfer methods adopted by today’s wealthy clubs.
“The rules are there. Let’s get them respected,” he said.
“You cannot come out and say ‘next week we pay £250,000 to Ronaldo and £135million’ when a player has a contract with Man United.
“It’s not possible or acceptable.”
Wenger went on to question whether Robinho was even aware of which club he was signing for, having been pursued by Chelsea for much of the summer.
“What is worrying is that a player signs somewhere and then the next day he does not even know where he has signed,” added the Frenchman.
“You cannot say that is a good trend.
“Football is not a supermarket. There is money in the game and I take it in a positive way.
“But the football bodies have to make sure money is ruled properly and used well for the ethic of the game.”
Wenger is also concerned that interfering owners are killing off the role of the manager in modern football.
“On the continent, at least you are informed on what kind of players you buy. It looks like some are not even informed anymore,” he said in reference to the recent resignations of Kevin Keegan and Alan Curbishley.
“It looks to be going a very worrying way. People who come from another country, they import the way people manage in their country. In England you had a tradition that was never questioned.”
