According to some reports, Arsene Wenger is interested in West Ham’s Mark Noble, but why on earth would he want such a player?

This is not meant as an insult to the Hammers or their fans. I think that Noble is a damn good player and is sure to win a full England cap any time soon, but the idea that the Gunners manager would decide to raid a Premier League club for its young talent given what he already has at his disposal is nothing less than ridiculous.

Wenger has very rarely raided a club for a young talent that has already blossomed – true he does have an eye for stars of the future, but he hardly ever purchases players already forming a career. An example of how this has failed came in the shape of Francis Jeffers whose £8m transfer was a flop of legendary proportions.

‘Wenger has very rarely raided a club for a young talent that has already blossomed ... he hardly ever purchases players already forming a career.’


The fact that Arsenal already have a wealth of midfield talent coming through to challenge the already sparkling first choices surely also makes such a claim even more ridiculous.

West Ham fans will no doubt be keen to keep hold of 20-year-old Noble, having seen a load of talent leaving Upton Park in the recent past, players who have gone on to be household names. Maybe Noble will be the next to seek his fortune elsewhere but I can say with complete certainty that he will not join Arsenal.