How to catch Wenger's eye - FourFourTwo interview

On having an eye for talent:

There is such thing as an eye for a player, yes. Some people are just more sensitive to it and enjoy looking for particular criteria. It would be pretentious of me to say that I have it but I have worked on it for a long, long time. I have bought many young players but I do acknowledge the help I get from scouts and coaches.

On what age you can tell if a player will become good:

At 12 you can detect if technically a player can make it or not. At 14 to 16 you can detect if physically he will be able to cope with the demands of professional sport. And from 16 to 18 you can start to see if a player understands how to connect with other players. At 20 the mental side of things kick in. How does he prepare? How does he cope with life’s temptations and the sacrifices a top player must make? This is a job where you must be ready. If you get a chance, you have to take it.

On first impressions:

The first impression is vital and that takes 20 minutes. It does vary from player to player as some have obvious talent that you see quickly. Some more steady players who have less obvious skills need maybe six months before you realise they are the real thing. Lionel Messi at 13 years of age would have needed about one minute. I have seen tapes of him at 13. He gets the ball, dribbles past everyone and scores.

On players coping with the pressures of professional football:

A big thing that goes wrong is general health. A good young player can simply have bad genes, and therefore bad hips or knees put an end to their career early. Health is important. Players must wake up happy, have no pain and jump around in training.

On what player Wenger is most proud of:

I refuse to give names as I don’t want to insult others. Some have overcome more than others but might not be as talented. Giving a start to a career such as Lilian Thuram and watching him win 142 caps is amazing. If you had told me that when he was just a boy, I would have said you are crazy. He was not the most talented but you are humbled by his efforts and proud to have been involved. Human beings always surprise you and that’s the excitement.