WENGER: SHUT THE WINDOW!
Former Arsenal boss says the January scramble should be scrapped
ARSENE WENGER has called for the January transfer
window to be scrapped.
The former Arsenal boss, now chief of global development for FIFA, earned a reputation as a cautious operator in the transfer market while running the Gunners.
But the Frenchman, 70, believes that the January window can act as an incentive for out-of-favour players to stop trying for their clubs – and only causes a problem for managers.
Wenger, who left the Emirates in 2018 after 22 years in charge, said: “I am for the abolition of the January transfer window. “Managers don’t deal with this second window well.”
And he added that, for some players, the looming window is regarded as a means to escape. “In October, as soon as a player does not play any more, he tries to find a solution elsewhere and waits for
January to leave,” said Wenger.
“He is no longer motivated, he gives up.”
The Frenchman also believes there should be a limit placed on the amount clubs can pay their players – to prevent wages getting out of control again.
Wenger said: “I am in favour of limiting the share of the budget of a club dedicated to the players’ payroll. At 50 per cent, for example.
“Half of the club’s budget devoted to player salaries, the other half dedicated to equity and operating costs.
“At Arsenal, this rule was imposed on us by the banks, we could not exceed a part of our budget in player salaries. But it did not prevent us from paying very large salaries.”
Wenger also believes that the licensing of players’ agents, dropped by FIFA in 2015, should be brought back. He added: “I have no problem with remuneration of an agent who makes me a great deal.
“When Marc Roger and Jean-francois Larios brought Patrick Vieira (left) to Arsenal from Milan in 1996, when he was on the verge of signing at Ajax, I was happy to pay them.
“But when I have to pay an agent because his player extends his contract, I am not convinced that he has done that much. What bothers me about commissions is that an agent can receive them from both sides – the buying club and the selling club.
“It is illegal, but, by creating two different frameworks, they sometimes succeed. Returning to agent licence requirements would be a good thing.”