Arsene Wenger makes frank admission: Arsenal fans have been telling him this for years

YOU really can’t win anything with kids, according to Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

Wenger’s transfer policy has been the subject of much debate during a spell which has seen the Gunners miss out on the Premier League title 12 years in a row.

His sides have tended to tail off after a bright start, leaving fans frustrated by an apparent reluctance to splash the cash on seasoned pros.

The Frenchman has regularly stood firm under pressure to spend big, but this summer saw him lay out millions on Granit Xhaka, Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez.

And while he accepts “exceptional talents” such as Hector Bellerin and Alex Iwobi – 21 and 20 respectively – are more than deserving of their place in his team, Wenger believes the core players in any genuine trophy-chasing side need to be over the age of 23.

The 66-year-old told Arsenal’s official website: “To be a real football player, you need to be 23 years old because before you have learned your job, you can have a great game and after, sometimes an average game.

“You can have one or two exceptional talents, like at the moment we have Hector Bellerin and Alex Iwobi, but the core of the team has to be from 23 to 30.

“If you look at the national teams, you never win a tournament with a young team, because it’s more mental at some stage to win something big.

“You need to have a certain level of experience.”