'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that he has not made a conscious effort to sign German players, of whom he has four in his first team squad, but believes that the similarities between English and German football mean that German players adapt easily to the vigours of the Premier League.
Wenger’s side face German champions Bayern Munich in the Champions League tonight, with Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil, Lukas Podolski and Serge Gnabry all in contention to be in the squad.
The Arsenal boss insists that he merely tries to sign good players for the club, rather than necessarily German players, but admits that the two are currently linked.
“I just buy good players – they adapt easily to England,” he told reporters.
“If you look at the number of French people in London you can’t say they don’t like England and don’t adapt. But it’s just a coincidence.
“Germany first of all is 80million people, they have created many academies of quality and they are now maybe producing more players than France.
“The structure in Germany [means that] in every single village you have a football club. The life of the village revolves around the club and everybody plays football in Germany.
“For me, it’s the most similar country to England because if you watch any single game it’s sold out. Football is very strong culturally in Germany, stronger than anywhere else and similar to England.”
As well as the German players in Arsenal’s current squad the club have also been linked with signing more German players, with reports suggesting interest in Schalke’s Julian Draxler and in Wolfsburg’s promising young winger Max Arnold.
