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Wenger won't change his ways

Image: Arsene Wenger: Believes his way is the right way for Arsenal

Arsene Wenger insists he will not be tweaking a philosophy which has served him well at Arsenal, with his focus locked on bargain buys and youth.

Gunners boss vows to carry on placing emphasis on youth

Arsene Wenger insists he will not be tweaking a philosophy which has served him well at Arsenal, with his focus locked on bargain buys and youth. The Frenchman's reluctance to dip into the Emirates Stadium coffers on a regular basis has infuriated fans at times, with it often felt as though they could do with an injection of new blood. Wenger's track record speaks for itself, though, and he has refused to waver in his belief that the production of home-grown talent is the way forward. Such an approach has served other clubs well in the past, with Dutch legend Johan Cruyff having helped to usher in eras of success at Ajax and Barcelona after placing extra emphasis on academy work. Wenger plans to continue following that lead, with Arsenal looking to their youth set-up and scouting network for inspiration. He appreciates that there will be setbacks along the way, as senior stars depart for pastures new, but he is adamant that the Gunners will benefit in the long run. "I totally agree with Cruyff, and I won't change," said Wenger.

Victim

"The only sad thing is that sometimes your work is destroyed by others. "You want to see a player in his prime doing it for your club. But it does not work like that all the time. "I am a victim of that. I lost Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Cesc Fabregas at an age when they should have been playing their best football for Arsenal. But I never left the club when I could have. "I could have left 10 times to join another club but I didn't because I have worked with the same vision and philosophy at Arsenal for the last 16 years, and that won't change. "Besides, money was never a motivation for me. "And, in a similar way, people like Cruyff don't put all their energy in building football teams with young players just for money. "We all do this because we want to give something back to football."

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