Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has stated that he culd not work under a director of football at a club, this comes after Tottenham have given former England assistant boss Franco Baldini a post as techincal director. Baldini has helped to secure a reported £110 million worth of investment to help manager Andre Villas-Boas to build a squad that is capable of overtaking Arsenal into the top 4 spots.
Wenger has had a disappointing summer in the transfer window so far failing to sign any marquee signings but Wenger has stated a director of football would cause a structure that is untenable for him.
‘A director of football buys the players. When they don’t work you (the manager) are guilty for them not playing well. If it works, the director of football has bought well,’ the French coach said.
‘I am not against having people to help me buy and sell. I cannot do it all – I am not Superman, but the final decision has to belong to the manager to decide who comes in and who goes out.’
‘He is responsible for the style of play and the results, Ihave to stand up for the results of the team. It makes sense that the manager makes those decisions.’
Wenger has been accused of trying to take too much work on in terms of player recruitment especially after the departure of close ally David Dein from the boardroom.
‘I have people around me who help, but the final decision has to be down to the manager,” he said.
‘I have a good experience of the game. I have played over 900 games here, but I don’t deny that the transfer market is a problem for me.’
‘It conflicts with the competition when that competition has already started.’
Wenger has also been arguing that signing players isn’t always neccessary and that without investment Arsenal can still overhaul Tottenham for top 4.
‘People have been brainwashed. People don’t question any more if players are better than the ones you already have,’ he said.
‘Take (Tomas) Rosicky. You have to find a better player than him or (Santi) Cazorla or a better payer than Jack Wilshere. That is what people forget, just how good the players you already have are.’
‘It is difficult to accept because people don’t look any more.’
‘(Aaron) Ramsey is 22 and Wilshere is 21, so that means they can only get better, they have fantastic qualities and have fantastic engines. People don’t realise they have something special here.’
‘When you have players like that you know that for the next five or six years you have real quality. That kind of pride and patience is not rated any more. It has just disappeared. People just want more and more (players). It is consumerism at any cost.’
James Moss – @JMoss_13
