Wenger disagrees with proposed changes in quota system

Arsene Wenger has said he doesn’t buy to the idea that an increase in the number of English players in English premier league clubs should be the priority of the English FA at the moment. 

                                               

Arsene Wenger urged them to look at more pressing concerns, and the players should be allowed to play as a result of the quality they possess, and not based in their place of origin.

In his pre matchbriefing ahead of the Liverpool game, Wenger was told that 8 ex-England managers have subscribed to the idea that the number of English players in every premier league club should be increased from 8-12, his response was “Look, that’s a long debate. I believe we are in a top level competition and that you earn your rights for the quality of your performance rather than your place of birth. Secondly, I’m happy and would like to contribute to the quality of English national team, but you have 2 questions that you can raise before that. What is the heart of the problem. 1^st of all, between ’66 and ’96, we had no foreign players in England, and it didn’t improve too much the performances of the national team. The second case is if from the age of 16 to the age of 21, the youth teams in England would win every single competition in Europe, you could say yes, there is something that you have to do because they do not get the chance at the top level. That is not the case. In the country, I think between 16 and 21, the English youth teams until now have not performed. That’s the heart of the problem."

Let’s get better at that level, and then if there is a problem to integrate these players into top teams, we have to do something about it. I think today, you have to be very brave to integrate the young players in the top teams because the pressure is very high, but I still believe if the players are good enough, they play. We speak about Sterling, about Kane, nobody stops the quality, no matter where they are from, so let’s focus on that first and apart from that, I support every single measure that improves the English national team, but it has to be efficient, and sometimes what looks like a good solution is not necessarily the right one.”

Wenger doesn’t like the idea of the quota system, but other leagues use their leagues to bring up their players, and that doesn’t seem to be the case in England. Do you have a different view, or do you agree with Arsene?