Wenger: Wary (Alex Livesey/Allsport)

It was Arsenal's Brazilian signing Edu who first sparked the storm when he arrived to join them last July. The midfielder's Portuguese passport was questioned at Heathrow and he was put on the first flight home.

Edu has since acquired legitimate papers but, after a string of revelations, the National Criminal Intelligence Service is set to check on 21 players at nine Premiership clubs who were born outside Europe but who have EU passports which help them get around the requirement for a work permit.

Wenger insisted his club are in the clear. 'In the case of Edu we were lucky because immigration stopped him from coming into the country with the wrong passport and we did not want to cheat anybody,' he said.

'If he had got through, we would eventually have lost the player and the £6million transfer fee.

'I know some clubs in France have already been punished but that is because it was proved that they had involvement in obtaining those passports.

'We feel we have to take people on trust and let the authorities deal with the documentation. That is not down to us. You can only punish the club if they are guilty of trying to cheat.

'But it makes me more cautious over future signings. Would I deal again with the same agent who told me Edu's first passport was correct? I don't know. He may not be the one at fault.'

Sports Minister Kate Hoey will meet with the NCIS, members of the Home Office and football officials to deal with the issue. Players who hold false papers face deportation and their clubs could be thrown out of European competition or docked points.

In January, Lithuanian striker Tomas Danilevicius was cleared to play for Arsenal when his Greek passport was confirmed as genuine.