Bin 'Second-Grade' UEFA Cup - Wenger

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes that, outside of the UK, people aren't settling for the lesser pleasures of the UEFA Cup.

The UEFA Cup keep getting stronger, but fan interest continues to wane and football chiefs continue to tinker. Next term, Europe's second continental competition will be given "new impetus". A number of changes will be made, including the name, which will now be Europa League.

However, one wonders how much more fans can want than a mouthwatering list of teams. This year, the likes of Manchester City, Galatasaray, Sampdoria, AC Milan, Ajax, Valencia and Feyenoord are all competing.

Meanwhile, three of last season's UEFA Cup final four - Zenit, Fiorentina and Bayern Munich - are currently lighting up the Champions League.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, however, isn't sure if fans will ever be able to settle for second best. Not when they could be concentrating on the likes of he and his Gunners.

“Its [future] is linked with the media interest and the fans’ interest,” the gaffer said of the tournament. “One thing is for sure, the media interest has gone down because it has become very difficult to sell the competition, apart from in England maybe.

“I don’t know how you can save the competition., it is a difficult problem. It seems to have become a competition that does not interest the media anymore before it gets to the quarter-final.

On the tastes of fans, he continued: “We live in a modern world where people have access to the best and want to see the best. That is why it is very difficult to sell it now.

“People nowadays have a choice. And because they have a choice they do not want to see a second-graded competition.”