Source: Eurosport
Zola happy to put youth before booty
West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola insists the Hammers are not jealous of the seemingly limitless transfer funds available to Manchester City.
While City have an open chequebook with which to bring the best talent available to Eastlands, and ensure they have a strong chance of Barclays Premier League success this coming season, Zola must spend more carefully in the transfer market and develop the club's young talent.
As a result, the West Ham squad is brimming with promising players such as James Tomkins, Jack Collison and Frank Nouble - and Zola is confident that developing a team of talented youngsters can yield as much success as splashing the cash, although it will take longer.
"There are ways to build up a team and Manchester City are using a quicker one," said the 43-year-old. "They spend a lot of money as they have the financial resources behind them and can go and buy the best players.
"But I believe in football you can achieve great results working in a different way. It will certainly take a lot longer and you can still achieve results. With patience, working with the young players and trying to develop them, taking care of them and making them better can work. That is the kind of policy West Ham want to take and I am very committed to it.
"I strongly believe football is not only about money. I believe results can be achieved using other systems. I might be wrong or I might be right, we will see, but it is good to think that football is not just about how much money you can spend but also about how much support you can put into working with players and making them better."
