Wenger: Champions League days numbered
ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger expects money-hungry big clubs to abandon the Champions League in favour of an even more lucrative European super league within 10 years.
The Frenchman’s team will be striving to secure their place in the competition’s group stage when they face Celtic in the first leg of a Champions League play-off in Glasgow tonight.
Winning Europe’s top prize has been estimated to be worth as much as £95m, but Wenger believes leading clubs will attempt to grab a bigger slice of revenues by launching a breakaway in the next decade.
“I see a European League developing in time. The national leagues will survive, but maybe in 10 years you will have a European League,” he said.
“The way we are going now financially, even the money coming in from the Champions League for some clubs who spend so much money will not be enough any more because the income is basically owned by European governing body UEFA and they distribute the money to the clubs.”
Wenger, who said the places of captain Cesc Fabregas, Denilson and Bacary Sagna would rest on late fitness tests, has Abou Diaby back from injury but is still without Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou, Samir Nasri and Tomas Rosicky.