Arsene Wenger says Manchester City and Barcelona have tried to “destroy” his work

Arsene Wenger today admitted to the strain of having lost some of his star players to the lure of Barcelona and Manchester City in recent seasons.

Speaking to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the Arsenal boss accused the two clubs - who prised Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas from the Gunners last season - of attempting to destroy his work.

"Sometimes people try and destroy your work," Wenger told De Telegraaf. "I lost Nasri, Clichy and Fabregas at an age when they could have made the difference for Arsenal."

Though Wenger is rebuilding the team this summer with the transfer of Lukas Podolski and the nearly completed signing of Montpellier's Olivier Giroud, his statements were the first public indication Wenger has given to his frustration as seeing his young stars leave for pastures new.

In a wide-ranging interview, Wenger also defended Arsenal talisman Robin van Persie's Euro 2012 performance for the Netherlands - perhaps only too aware that the striker could be Manchester City's next signing.

"Robin deserves more credit than he gets in the Netherlands," Wenger told De Telegraaf. "Robin van Persie was the best striker during the tournament. He's much better than strikers from other countries and he's also better than [Klaas-Jan] Huntelaar."

"Van Persie makes sure that a team plays football. I've analysed his performances and if you watch really closely, you will see that he made some brilliant moves and runs. At crucial stages he didn't get the ball. On the times he did not score with the chances he had can be put down to fatigue. But he's the perfect striker.

"If you want to reach a really high level as a team, you must pick Van Persie. He's an example for every striker. He's an exceptional football player and more than just a striker."