WENGER HAS PRAISE FOR SAINTS SET-UP

A R S E N E We n g e r h a s praised the Southampton production line as he prepares his Arsenal side to go up against Saints in their EFL quar ter-final clash tonight.

The academy at Southampton has been producing top talent for a number of years, with the likes of Gareth Bale, Adam Lallana and Theo Walcott all coming through the ranks.

The l atest graduate to make an impression is Josh Sims, who was named Man of the Match on his firstteam debut as Southampton beat Everton 1-0 on Sunday.

The 19-year-old could play some par t at t he Emirates Stadium tonight as both sides look to put their name into the hat for the two-legged semi-finals.

And Wenger knows better than most just what quality can come from years i n Saints’ set-up, having poached three players from the club over t he last decade.

“They have cer tainly been t he most prolific producers of top talent in England i n t he l ast 15 years,” he said.

“They have not only produced talent, but top talents. We have some examples at our club with Wa l c o t t , A l ex O x l a d e - Chamberlain and Calum Chambers.

“But don’t forget they’ve also produced top quality players like Gareth Bale, Adam Lallana and of course others. They do not only produce quality players, they scout very well as well because they scouted players like Sadio Mane.”