Wenger couldn't work under a director of football at Arsenal

Manager of Premier League club, who face London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, does not believe there is a need for someone else placed in charge of buying players.

Arsene Wenger has so far failed to land any of his major targets. Sang Tan / AP Photo

Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, could never see himself working under a director of football.

Franco Baldini, the former England assistant manager, took up the post of technical director at Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the summer, and has helped secure a reported £110 million (Dh626m) of investment as manager Andre Villas-Boas looks to build a squad capable of overhauling their London rivals into the top four of the English Premier League.

However, Wenger – who has so far failed to land any of his major targets, with only the free transfers of midfielder Mathieu Flamini and France U21 striker Yaya Sanogo on board – claims it is a structure which would be a non-starter for him.

"A director of football buys the players. When they don't work you [the manager] are guilty for them not playing well. If it works, the director of football has bought well," the French coach said.

"I am not against having people to help me buy and sell. I cannot do it all - I am not Superman, but the final decision has to belong to the manager to decide who comes in and who goes out.

"He is responsible for the style of play and the results.

"I have to stand up for the results of the team. It makes sense that the manager makes those decisions."

Wenger has often been charged with taking on too much in terms of player recruitment since the departure of close ally David Dein from the boardroom.

The Gunners manager, though, sees no issues with the current set-up.

"I have people around me who help, but the final decision has to be down to the manager," he said.

"I have a good experience of the game. I have played over 900 games here, but I don't deny that the transfer market is a problem for me.

"It conflicts with the competition when that competition has already started."

Wenger believes his side can show they are capable of staying ahead of Tottenham without major investment when the two sides clash at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

"People have been brainwashed. People don't question any more if players are better than the ones you already have," he said.

"Take [Tomas] Rosicky. You have to find a better player than him or [Santi] Cazorla or a better payer than Jack Wilshere. That is what people forget, just how good the players you already have are.

"It is difficult to accept because people don't look any more."

Wenger believes the current squad – which has been depleted further by injury as forward Lukas Podolski faces up to three months out with a torn hamstring – can continue to grow.

"[Aaron] Ramsey is 22 and Wilshere is 21, so that means they can only get better," Wenger added.

"They have fantastic qualities and have fantastic engines. People don't realise they have something special here.

"When you have players like that you know that for the next five or six years you have real quality.

"That kind of pride and patience is not rated any more. It has just disappeared.

"People just want more and more [players]. It is consumerism at any cost."

Wenger stressed the balance between established quality and developing talent must always be maintained.

"I would say [a squad needs] 17 or 18 [senior] players and young players," he said.

"If you have too many [seniors], you never have the chance to give a young player an opportunity.

"Once you have 25 senior players you can send your academy to the moon because no one will ever get the chance to play."

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