Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says players have freedom to hold clubs to ransom

Arsene Wenger believes modern day players’ freedom of movement has allowed transfer sagas to become the norm.

Chelsea’s Diego Costa and West Ham’s Dimitri Payet have been heavily linked with big money moves to China and France, with the duo reportedly refusing to play for their clubs in recent games.

The Gunners face an ongoing battle of their own to tie down Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to new contracts, as the pair enter the final 18 months of their deals at the Emirates.

And Wenger believes the opportunity for players to pick and choose where they play their football has put their clubs in a weak position.

“In every club the problem is different,” said Wenger.

“When you have a problem with one player, it does not mean the whole squad is unhappy, sometimes it is just one puncture problem.

“But overall, the players have everything today to be happier than 20 or 40 years ago. Because they are treated very well, [have a] fantastic income, and they have the freedom of movement internationally, which we didn’t have when we played.

“I remember the time you sign somewhere and you were linked with the whole club for your whole career - you could not even move. So today, there is much more freedom on that front.”

Costa was reportedly offered £30million-a-year to join Chinese side Tianjin Quanjian before missing his side’s convincing win over champions Leicester City.

And with the added competition, Wenger admitted he fears players could essentially hold their clubs to ransom.

“The danger is that the Chinese offers become the benchmark for Europe and you cannot compete with that.

“But I still think at the moment - when you’re a football player - the first thing you want is to play against the best players and the best teams.”