Wengers Barca vision
03 Jul 2009 - 12:22:00
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is happy to see his club follow Barcelona's lead and build their squad over time rather than imitate Real Madrid's big spending policy.
The Gunners boss has had to fend off some criticism from the club's fans over recent times as he continues to invest in youth rather than challenging to sign big name players such as Lyon striker Karim Benzema.
But the French coach is happy with his way of working and admits that is one of the reasons why he resisted the chance to join Madrid.
"I refused [Real Madrid] because I have built a young team and I have the feeling that I have not finished my job," Wenger told French radio station RMC. "I am not denying it will be a decisive season. If we are not in the title race, we will have to build everything again.
"We have got an 'anti-Real' policy. We build on the long term, a bit like Barcelona. There are two prices today, the price when Real Madrid buy and the market price.
"In the market, 35 million euros for (Karim) Benzema is a very good price. But is he three times less good than (Cristiano) Ronaldo? I don't think so."
