PLAYERS ARE MERCENARIES

But Wenger, who today admits Arsenal have become a selling club, is furious at the way today’s superstar footballers can ride roughshod over their contracts and has become disillusioned with the transfer system.

The Frenchman has already lost midfielder Mathieu Flamini to AC Milan this summer in a row over money and is now in a desperate fight to hang to both 30-goal Adebayor and playmaker Alexander Hleb.

Wenger declared: “If I had the power to change anything basic in football, it would be the transfer system which makes mercenaries of players.

“If they are bad ones, they stay and, if they are good, they think only of leaving.

“I have fought for them to earn a very good living, but I impose respect for their contract upon them.

“Clubs need stability and so do the public to identify with them in a lasting way.”

Premier League big guns Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea have all been trying to hang on to their prized assets this summer as the latest transfer tug-of-wars threaten to bubble into meltdown.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson is battling to hang on to £75million winger Cristiano Ronaldo as Real Madrid try to prise HIM away with a never-ending campaign of dirty tricks, claims and counter claims.

Salary

At Stamford Bridge, new Chelsea boss Luis Felipe Scolari has the dilemma of trying to keep England midfielder Frank Lampard happy in the wake of a reported money-spinning offer from his former manager Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan.

And Wenger has had to deal with Adebayor (above, scoring for Arsenal) insisting he will walk out unless Arsenal match his demand to be paid as much as the Gunners’ record goal scorer Thierry Henry - now at Barcelona.

In an exclusive News of the World interview, Adebayor, 24, declared: “Either Arsenal give me what I want and I stay or they don’t and I leave.”

Adebayor wants a new £120,000-a-week deal and he added: “I am being considered a worthy replacement for Thierry Henry while not deserving his salary.

“Barcelona have made a good financial offer. Yes, I am still under contract to Arsenal but it’s up to the directors to satisfy my demands or I’ll leave.

“If my good form of last season has increased my value, my employers have to take account of that.”

The current trend of tapping-up and unsettling contracted players clearly irks Wenger (pictured right with Adebayor).

He added: “My contract with Arsenal runs up to 2011 and, as a man of Alsace, I am faithful, disciplined, even rigid. I will go to the end.

“Managing the France national team does interest me, but I am not a candidate now.”

And he is annoyed that the transfer system now allows players to pick and choose to the detriment of the clubs.

He is also annoyed at how some clubs disregard the system by constantly unsettling players under contracts at other clubs.

Chelsea were fined £300,000 by the Premier League in June, 2005 for tapping up Arsenal defender Ashley Cole, who himself was landed with a £100,000 fine.

Arsenal have twice threatened to report Real Madrid to UEFA for illegal approaches to Cesc Fabregas and former star Jose Reyes - and Inter Milan for unsettling Hleb.

The transfer system has been revolutionised since Belgian footballer Jean-Marc Bosman rocked football with his landmark legal victory in 1995.

He took Standard Liege to court for refusing to sanction his transfer to Dunkerque, who offered no transfer fee.

Contract

He won his case and under the now famous 1995 Bosman ruling players are able to move clubs for free once they are out of contract - where previously clubs had the power to block any transfer.

Just three years ago, FIFA adopted a European Union law allowing players to BUY OUT the remaining two years of their contract in order to secure a move of their choice.

And in 2006 former Hearts defender Andy Webster made history by securing a move to Wigan after invoking a loophole in Article 17 of the adopted FIFA EU law which states any player under the age of 25 may CANCEL his contract after three years if the player were to sign with another team in a foreign country.

Arsenal’s transfer policy, coupled with players’ huge wage demands, has meant Wenger has needed to be frugal in the transfer market.

Since Arsenal starting making their £24m-a-year mortgage payments on their 60,000 all-seater stadium in 2004, Wenger has made a £4.45m profit in all his transfer dealings.

He has spent a total of £58.45m on players, but recouped a staggering £62.9m in sales.