Arsene Wenger ‘a bit angry’ when he found out Tottenham striker Harry Kane had slipped through Arsenal's net

The striker has excelled since breaking through at White Hart Lane

Harry Kane (GETTY IMAGES)

Arsène Wenger revealed yesterday that he was “a bit angry” when he learnt that Arsenal had released a young Harry Kane from their academy.

Kane joined the Tottenham Hotspur academy instead, and is now a crucial part of Mauricio Pochettino’s first team. He scored both goals when Spurs beat Arsenal 2-1 at White Hart Lane in February, and will face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow afternoon.

Kane spent one year with Arsenal, when he was eight years old, and it was only when he made the grade at Spurs that Wenger learnt of the boy who had slipped through the net.

“I didn’t know that,” Wenger admitted yesterday. “I read it in the papers, sometimes you get good information there. So I found it quite funny, and you are always a bit angry as well, because I asked why did he go? But at nine years of age, boys move here and there. Some people move at youth level, because their parents find a different job, and they move somewhere else.”

Wenger said there was little chance of Kane joining Arsenal now, but said the striker could be “a top player”.

Arsenal go into the derby off the back of losing 5-1 to Bayern Munich on Wednesday night, and with an injury list Wenger admitted was a big issue. Laurent Koscielny, rated at “80 per cent”, will undergo a late fitness test, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky, Hector Bellerin, Aaron Ramsey and Danny Welbeck are all out.

“I am very concerned, honestly, because we are only in November,” Wenger said. “To have so many players out, knowing we go into the Christmas period soon, I am concerned. At the moment we have too many players out.”

Tomorrow’s game is the last one before a two-week international break, and Wenger is mindful of the fact that if Koscielny is passed fit to play after a hip injury, he will join up with Didier Deschamps’ France squad for their friendlies against Germany and England.

“I have not spoken to Deschamps yet,” Wenger said, “because I want to see first if Koscielny plays on Sunday. If he doesn’t play on Sunday, I will not need to speak to him, because I will not let him travel. I have the same problem with David Ospina, who might be available for Sunday. If I put him on the bench, he will go to Colombia.”

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Wenger insisted that this issue does not influence his selection. “You want the best players available for Sunday,” he said, “but it is problem. Ospina came back injured from Colombia, did not play for the whole period, and now he travels back.”

Wenger is still frustrated that Ramsey played for Wales in a meaningless match against Andorra, one week before he pulled up with a hamstring injury when Arsenal beat Bayern Munich in their previous Champions League match. Chris Coleman did not appreciate Wenger bringing this up last week, but he responded that Ramsey should not have played in that match.

“When a national manager has a very important game, like a qualifier, I don’t try to influence the national manager,” Wenger said. “When they play friendly games, I think why should we lose another player to a friendly game? That is why the little problem for Ramsey happened.

“It was the same for [Gareth Bale and] Real Madrid. I don’t see why. They were qualified, they played against Andorra, I don’t see why it was especially needed to play Bale and Ramsey. I am very happy for Wales, in fact I congratulate Chris Coleman on the top job he has done with Wales. But I just felt it was one game too many.”