Internet Desk: Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger feels after China luring top European footballers in to their league the next country is likely to be India who will follow China’s footsteps and take away top players to play in their Leagues.
Arsène Wenger believes India is a sleeping giant and could emerge as the next country to poach Premier League players.
The rise of the Chinese Super League has seen the likes of Diego Costa targeted with offers which no English club can compete with. Players in their prime, rather than on the decline, are being lured over to the Far East.
However, Wenger believes China must still battle to win over the hearts and mind of the country’s people, and thinks India could emerge as a potential rival.
“It’s a slow process of creating a football culture. You are educated as a little boy by your parents about football and that goes through the next generations.And that takes time to be a really big part of the population.
“In China it’s new. So it will take time. We don’t know in 10 years’ time that China will still do it. Sometimes it’s a political decision that can change. I expect India to come to the game and I hope it will happen.”
Wenger managed in Japan at Grampus Eight at the early stages of his coaching career, and Gary Lineker also played in the country during his final years as a player. The J-League, launched in 1993, failed to take off on a global scale, and Wenger experienced its struggles for worldwide recognition first hand
“I know it takes time well as I participated in Japan in 1995. The professional league was created in ’93,” he said.
Wenger believes those having their heads turned by the salaries on offer in China should think twice, adding: “My thought is if you want to be a footballer, you want to play in the best league in the world against the best players.”