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City want Gunners model

Eastlands chief doesn't want to keep splashing the cash

By James Riach Last updated: 18th November 2009

Cook: Wants Arsenal model

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Manchester City chief executive Garry Cook says the club are looking to learn from the transfer model at Arsenal.

City have spent almost �200million on new players since Sheikh Mansour took control of the club in September last year, but Cook wants to see less big-name signings and more building for the future.

The Blues splashed out �32.5million on record signing Robinho last year, as well as more than �20million on players such as Joleon Lescott and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Compare this to Arsenal who only added Thomas Vermaelen to their squad in the summer, for €10million, and Cook says this is where City want to be in the future.

"That is absolutely (a model to aspire to) because, financially, it's a better model than one where you get into negotiating a market price that has no pre-determining factors other than supply and demand," he said.

"That's a model I don't subscribe to and one I don't want to be beholden to. I would rather control or manage our destiny over the long term.

"What we are clear on is that we don't think there will be another couple of windows like we have just been through. And I think you're going to see Manchester City really ramp up its activity in the youth area, in the development area of players.

"There's often opinion that we are just going to keep buying players, but that's actually the antithesis of what we're trying to do."

Scouting

Arsene Wenger is renowned for his team of scouts scattered far and wide across the globe who pick up potential stars for relatively low prices, something which Cook says City are aspiring to achieve.

"What we have to do a good job of for the future is create the next first team of players as they come through," he added in the Daily Express.

"A year ago we didn't really have scouting network. We now have 12 people employed by the club working worldwide.

"That's going to start to pay off as we go forward."

City currently lie sixth in the Premier League table and travel to Anfield on Saturday to take on fellow UEFA Champions League hopefuls Liverpool.