Wenger warns Prem giants against matching Chinese SL wages

Arsene Wenger: Fears China could lure top players away

Arsene Wenger believes Premier League clubs could be in serious “danger” if they try to match the astronomical wages being offered by Chinese Super League clubs.

Chelsea striker Diego Costa has been linked with a move to the Far East with an offer of £600,000 a week reportedly on the table for the Spain international.

Two of his former Stamford Bridge team-mates, Oscar and John Obi Mikel, have already moved to Super League outfits, while former Premier League striker Carlos Tevez became the highest-earning player in the world when he joined Shanghai Shenhua in December.

Arsene Wenger: Sanchez not injured

Arsenal manager Wenger is facing questions on a weekly basis over the future of both Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, as the pair reportedly seek parity with the best-paid players in the Premier League.

But the Frenchman fears the ever-increasing pay packet of a top-flight star could soon end up being compared to the money on offer in China.

“That’s the danger, that the Chinese offers become the benchmark for Europe,” Wenger said, when asked if the money on offer in China could complicate negotiations with top players.

“You cannot compete with that but I still think that, when you’re a footballer, the first thing is that you want to play against the best players in the best teams.

“Of course it’s a worry but it happened in Europe before. It also happens when you’re at a smaller club. Sometimes we had periods where we could not financially compete with the bigger clubs who took our players away from us. It can happen inside the country.”

Despite his fears, Wenger believes many players will want to stay put in the Premier League and Europe rather than uproot for financial gains.

“My thought is that when you want to be a football player, your first aspiration is to play in the best league, against the best players,” he added.

“That has to be the first target, after that when you are a professional football player you want to combine the fact you can play in the best league, against the best players, for the maximum amount of money.

“I think that combination is the best in England at the moment, so I don’t see why the players should leave the English Premier League.

“But China has moved forward, tries to promote football and I’m happy that football becomes very popular in China, but I still think most of the players, of the big players, will stay in Europe at the moment.”