Arsène Wenger believes Arsenal’s patience is their virtue.The Frenchman admits it is getting harder and harder to unearth young footballing talents from around Europe. But they will continue to be attracted to Emirates Stadium because Arsenal are prepared to wait for them to develop.
In the past, Wenger has plucked the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Nicolas Anelka from the youth ranks of other clubs and turned them into world-class players. There is every chance that Gael Clichy, Philippe Senderos, Denilson and Abou Diaby could follow suit soon.
However the clamour for young talent is getting more intense these days. As an added incentive, new Uefa regulations mean Champions League sides must have a minimum of six “locally-trained” players in the squad. This figure will rise to eight next season.
"It's a harder trick to pull off buying younger players,” said Wenger. “But I am not too much worried about the competition because [the players] will always go where they think they get the chance.
“Not many clubs have the patience to give them a go. They will make them wait until they think they are good enough.
“Here, a player knows if he is good he will play,” Wenger added, speaking before the weekend game with Portsmouth. “And, because we start them early here, they mature earlier. Players are integrated into our training sessions early so they know exactly what they have to do.”
* The definition of “locally-trained players” is made up of three “association-trained players” who are affiliated to the national association and three club-trained players who have been registered with their club for three years between the ages of 15 and 21. Next season the requirement moves to eight “locally-trained players” made up of four from each category.