Newcastle United chief scout Graham Carr has defended their French signings.

Carr revealed Newcastle are trying to follow Arsene Wenger's past model at Arsenal - where the Frenchman ushered in a golden era by landing the likes of Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit.

Carr said: "Our aim is to recruit young players for the future. We go to France because it's working.

"Arsenal had Henry, Vieira and Petit. At present, we know that we're still developing."