Arsenal boss Wenger: Huge fees have turned football crazy

Sep 23, 2012 11:15:00 AM

The Gunners' manager has criticised the big spending of clubs like French side PSG, claiming that transfers such as the £36m deal for Lucas Moura could harm the game irrevocably

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has lashed out at Europe's big-spenders and called for tighter financial controls, declaring that sides such as Paris Saint-Germain have distorted the market with huge fees.

The Gunners' boss is frustrated at the manner in which certain clubs – particularly the Qatari-backed French side – went about their business this summer, claiming that it will harm the whole of football in the long-term.

"In the end, football suffers. Look at what happened in the transfer market this summer. PSG are ambitious, they have resources, there you go," he told the Daily Mail.

"When someone [PSG] pays £36 million for a boy of 19 [sic] [Lucas Moura] you have to say football has become crazy."

Wenger did dip into the transfer market himself this summer, with some substantial buys in anticipation of the loss of star striker Robin van Persie to Manchester United, bringing in FC Koln striker Lukas Podolski for a rumoured £10 million (€12.5m), and Montpellier's Olivier Giroud for £12m (€15m).

However, the 62-year-old feels that without clubs looking to balance their books, dark times may lie ahead for the game.

"We always say the same thing. Europe, it's like the Titanic. But we carry on as if nothing matters," he continued.

"More than ever, we need to manage our clubs in a controlled way because otherwise everyone suffers."

With Uefa recently implementing Financial Fair Play rules by withholding European prize money from 23 clubs, Wenger is hopeful that clubs will begin to compete on a more level playing field.

However, he criticised Manchester City's recently-announced £400m-a-year sponsorship from Etihad Airways, claiming that the huge deal may simply be an attempt to artificially inflate City's income.

He added: "If the sponsorship deals are just a way of getting around financial fair play, then it's not financial fair play."

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