Soccer: Wenger points to drawbacks of 25-member squads

LONDON - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger yesterday criticised the new 25-member squad cap being implemented by the English Premier League next season, saying it will put soccer clubs in a weakened position during transfer periods.

Wenger was speaking about the implications bringing Bordeaux striker Marouane Chamakh to Arsenal could have for other players at the club.

"Nothing has been sorted out yet," Wenger said when asked what would happen to Arsenal's other strikers.

"The Premier League has created a rule that basically you should jump through the roof. I have never seen a rule that makes less business sense than they created."

The Premier League will also implement a rule that each squad must include at least eight "home-grown" players next season.

Wenger said: "If you go out and buy one player, suddenly you're at 26" and the club has to cut another player from the squad. He said it would then be difficult to offload a player to other Premier League clubs because they would also have no room to accommodate him.

"I don't know what they think about the consequences for the clubs."

Wenger earlier said he was confident Arsenal would soon sign the 26-year-old Chamakh, who has been linked with a move to the club for months.

Wenger also hinted he would bolster his defence over the summer to strengthen the team's chances of winning trophies next season.

"We want to improve in quality, so it is not necessarily a big number of players needed," he said after Arsenal beat Fulham 4-0 on the final day of the Premier League season.

- AP