Arsene Wenger has questioned the merits of the current loan system in the Premier League.
The Gunners boss believes that it encourages big clubs, including Arsenal, to stockpile young talent which can hamper the players’ development.
Speaking to Arsenal magazine (via the Reuters newswire), Wenger explained the current predicament that clubs currently find themselves in when competing for youth players in the transfer market:
“It is one of the big problems in the modern game. You’ve invested a lot of money into players because we’re paying more and more money, and then at the age of 20 you don’t usually get much for any of the players.
“So the reflex is to stockpile the players. That’s not right. When you look at the number of loans that happen here and there, the whole system has to be thought about again.”
The Gunners are not the worst culprits of the practice by any means. The London club currently has 13 players out on loan at other clubs, but Chelsea have loaned nearly 40 just this season alone.
Wenger suggests that it maybe time to either limit the amount of players clubs can have on contracts at any one time, or perhaps allow Premier League clubs to buy in to teams at League One level to allow some young players to develop in the English third tier. Both ideas would however be met with stiff opposition from some quarters.
