Wenger says clubs must entertain

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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that Premiership teams have an obligation to entertain the fans.

Premiership attendances are down on last season and the entertainment value on offer has been criticised.

"When somebody buys a ticket and spends £50, £60 or £70, it is not because he wants to be bored," said Wenger after his side's 2-0 win over Everton.

"It is because he wants to enjoy a football game. I feel we all have a responsibility to keep that going."

Wenger's comments are at odds with those of his Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho.

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Mourinho said last week that "obligation" was not a word in his footballing vocabulary and that winning must take priority.

"Of course, we also have the responsibility to win games and the difficulty in the job is to combine both," added Wenger.

"But that does not mean at the start that the target must be 'we want to be boring'. The target for every manager and for Mourinho as well - I think he would share that with me - is to try to entertain people.

"Unfortunately, it is not always the case but we have to try."

There were almost 62,000 spare seats across the nine Premiership matches at the weekend and it followed a significant drop in the crowds at the home midweek European ties involving Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Bolton.

A Premier League spokesman said: "It is far too early to draw any firm conclusions but the Premier League remains one of the best-supported leagues in Europe."

Wenger, meanwhile, has praised Sol Campbell after the defender scored both goals against Everton at Highbury on Monday night.

Campbell, who was making his first Premiership start of the season after recovering from a calf injury, headed home two first-half free-kicks from Jose Antonio Reyes.

And Wenger believes that the defender is ready to force himself back into contention for an England place.

"Sol has experience, pace and physical power, which nobody else has together," said Wenger.

"He has the ingredients that all make him certainly someone for Sven to consider and I am sure he will consider him.

"He has hunger and desire to come back - firstly for us but also for England. He is a proud man and when his pride is touched his competitiveness becomes very sharp."

Campbell said: "I want to be back in the England side, that is one of my main goals. I have got to keep on going.

"Last season there was frustration but it is great getting back and being out there and happy and getting stronger with my game."