Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, says that banning football clubs from buying players under the age of 18 will make the transfer situation worse and not better. Wenger’s point is based on the fact that football clubs are businesses and established organizations.

Banning clubs from buying players may lead to complications when it comes to agents who may be presented with the opportunity of buying all rights connected to a player, which could prompt a repeat of the Carlos Tevez saga that eventually saw West Ham United paying a settlement of £30 million to Sheffield United.

Wenger said: “If you ban players from moving before the age of 18, you know what will happen? The player will be sold anyway. To whom? To agents. At what age? At 13, 14. Where will they go? Not to top-level clubs with top-level education. They will go to clubs who have been bought by business people, of a very low level, and will stay there until the age of 18 waiting to be sold. The money will go out of the game.”

“If your players cannot move to the best clubs, I believe they will not improve. If you have a child who is a good musician, what is your first reaction? It is to put it into a good music school, not in an average one. So why should that not happen in football? If a player goes to Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, it is all [above board] and he gets a good education.”

“Clubs will just make future agreements with the clubs to sign them at 18 when they are 16. Are they really going to wait? England is in a weak position for taking young players because they inflict a big handicap on themselves by the fact that they have no access to Asian players, no access to South American players, no access to African players [because of work permit regulations].”

Wenger’s critics will say that the Frenchman will react badly to the possibility of a ban because his football philosophy has been based on buying young players over the last two or three seasons and now that it is under threat he will say any thing to stop it from happening.

Football is a very lucrative business and there are a lot of people in the game who are just trying to make a few extra pounds by capitalizing on the inexperience of a lot of younger players.