Wenger fears for talent

Manchester City have made several expensive signings in the last two seasons. But Tom Hicks does not believe they can sustain the buying power.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez and Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger say new rules restricting player recruitment in terms of nationality and age will stop some of the finest talent around from moving to England. "I am not in favour of it, and I said that many times. I feel that when you want to see the best players in the best league in the world, you have to be open," Wenger said.

"To accept competition - and we live for competition - it is not to accept artificial rules and that is why I am against it." The new regulations are to be introduced from next season. The financial aspect forces clubs to prove they have stable finances prior to the start of the season. In terms of squad rules the 20 English top-flight clubs have agreed to name 25-man squads with at least eight players "home-grown" - trained for three years under the age of 21 in England or Wales. "It may now be difficult to maintain quality. The number of players is not the point, the quality is," said Benitez.

"People talk too much about the age of players and where they are from. They forget about quality. The Premier League is the best league in the world because of the quality, not because of where the players come from." Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks insists it will not be a problem for the Reds to adhere to the financial aspect of the rules despite speculation they had problems with debt. "You have to look 'cash flow' rather than accounting - and we intend to operate Liverpool where it has a very strong positive cash flow, so we have the resources to be as competitive as possible on the pitch.

"Our goal is to have less debt than any of the top clubs, and that's a commitment we have made and will continue to make." Hicks is dubious about Manchester City's huge outlay on signings. He said: "It's not sustainable at City. They won't continue to invest like that, because it doesn't make good economic sense. "They will make the improvements they need to make and then run it more like a business. The smart clubs operate for the long term, and you have to look at who have had success for many years."

Hicks believes Benitez will want some money for January's transfer window. "Knowing Rafa Benitez, I suspect he's got his eye on part of it," he added. "As we build our revenues, it gives ability to be more competitive on the pitch. Everybody involved with Liverpool wants to win the Premier League - it's been too many years and it's our goal." As expected, it was announced yesterday that Peter Kenyon is leaving his role as chief executive of Chelsea after more than five years at the club. Kenyon joined Chelsea from Manchester United in 2004 and will vacate the post on October 31. He will stay on at Stamford Bridge as a non-executive director.

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