#2 Appointing Arsene Wenger – 1996
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Arsene who?
Trust the English press to belittle anything that is out of the ordinary with that sort of headline. And a foreign manager working in England’s top flight at one of its most reputed clubs was definitely something that was out of the ordinary.
In truth, Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein had thought about hiring the charismatic manager in 1989 when they met for the first time. But he got his man a few years later and convinced him to return to Europe after the French manager had taken a job at Japan’s Nagoya Grampus Eight.
Wenger brought about a revolution at the club – from changing player diets to hiring specialists in fitness and nutrition – and, in the process, he changed the mindset of the players, many of whom would prolong their careers thanks to his meticulous planning and inspirational ideas.
New players arrived at Highbury and fans suddenly saw a new breed of Premier League players who completely changed the game. “Boring, boring Arsenal” was soon a thing of the past. Players such as Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry were just a few of the marquee signings who arrived while others at the club, such as the legendary Dennis Bergkamp, found a new lease of life.
In 20 years since, the club has won three league titles and six FA Cups under the French manager. In the process, he also oversaw a successful move from their old spiritual home that was Highbury to the larger and financially viable 60,000 seater Emirates Stadium that has allowed the club to compete with cash-rich clubs.
In spite of several hiccups along the way in the past decade, Wenger stood firm and refused to have his head turned by other European superpowers during the tough years of financial strain and a period where world class players moved away on a regular basis.
“What I like about Arsenal, and I am very proud of, is that the club is a mixture of respecting traditional values while not being scared to move forward.
“I believe in the last 15 to 20 years you have all of that – fantastic periods, difficult periods – I stayed here for the respect I have for all that.” – Arsene Wenger
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