LONDON - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists any attempt to impose a quota of home-grown players will only lead to the development of "professional subs".
A report commissioned by the Professional Footballers' Association has highlighted a worrying drop in the number of youngsters coming through the system.
The PFA have called on the Premier League to bring in a new rule so every team has at least three home-grown players - but of any nationality - on the pitch at any time in order to reverse the trend.
Arsenal have more foreign first-team players than any other in the Premier League, and top the table ahead of this weekend's trip to Middlesbrough.
Wenger, though, has long advocated he is not concerned by passports, only talent and cannot see the point of introducing restrictions.
The Gunners boss recalled: "I was at the centre of an experience where we had to play three players in the squad under 21.
"You know what these people became? Professional bench players. Every week they sat next to the manager.
"Not only did more French players not play, but they did not even play in the reserves or practice enough and in the end we cut the rule and we opened it up completely again because what happens is you produce professional subs."
Wenger maintained: "That will happen again, of course, if we go down the quota route.
"The manager will first choose the best players and after he will choose the second best.
"You are not at ease to do your job because you feel somewhere you do not even help the boy.
"I prefer to tell them 'listen my friend, you are not good enough. We are in a job that is down to quality and I do not want to give you a job of just sitting on the bench because somebody in an office has decided that you need to be in the squad'.
"It is ridiculous and it is unfair."
Wenger concluded: "I feel you are happier if you play in the second division and you feel one of the stronger players, than sitting on the bench at Arsenal and feel 'I am not good enough', and with no respect from people around you."
The French coach, 58, accepts he is perhaps something of an easy target, given Arsenal have just Theo Walcott and Justin Hoyte as the only Englishmen in their regular first-team squad.
"I am in a job where I have to accept sometimes to be blamed for things I am not necessarily responsible for," Wenger reflected.
"But I have said many times from 1966 to 1996, you had no foreigners, and England did not win any more, or any less. Thirty years is not a coincidence.
"I can accept that you can point your finger at Arsenal because we have no English players at the moment who are really regular players - but why?
"For two reasons. The first one was financial because we were always competing with Manchester United and Chelsea, who had bigger financial potential.
"And secondly you do not produce enough - you have not produced in the last 10 years, enough English players of the top, top, top quality.
"You have produced a number and they have gone to clubs with the biggest financial potential.
"At Arsenal you have to see how to compete with Man United and Chelsea.
"We had to try in our own way to be successful and this was to buy young players - now we have young English players who are very good and maybe they will come out."
Wenger admitted he had made a "conscious effort" in the past to try to bring English talent to Arsenal - having signed the likes of England internationals Richard Wright and Francis Jeffers, both of whom failed to make the grade at Highbury.
"I know people will want to see that I play English players," he said, "but at the end of the day we live in an international world and we respect the rules - English players can go and play where they want, and foreign players can come in and play.
"You cannot want the best league in the world and only play English players. That is not the truth."
Wenger declared: "When a guy sits in the stands at Arsenal and sees a fantastic cross and a volley, he doesn't think '(Emmanuel) Eboue, where does he come from this guy?'. He either enjoys it or he doesn't enjoy it.
"At Arsenal that has done a lot for the popularity of the game all over the world."
Wenger could, meanwhile, be set to make another foreign signing in the shape of Congo striker Tresor Mputu, who impressed during a recent trail spell at London Colney.
Reports in Africa suggest an offer has already been made for the 20-year-old.
Wenger, though, remained non-committal. He said: "Maybe we will pursue it - but it will be on a six or seven-month plan. You get the guy in to adapt, and then we'll see how well he does.
"Mputu has qualities, but he has never played in Europe and, in the middle of a season, to buy a guy from Congo and think he will give you something more is a little bit optimistic."
