What if: Arsene Wenger had joined Manchester United instead of Arsenal

In August 1996, Arsenal sacked manager Bruce Rioch after just 61 weeks in charge. Rioch’s position had become untenable after a dispute with the board over transfers, and his fractious relationship with vice chairman David Dein didn’t help either. Among the names that popped up as his rumoured replacement was Johan Cruyff, who had stepped down as the most successful manager in Barcelona’s history.

There was the mention of a certain Arsene Wenger in the gossip columns as well, a Frenchman who was managing Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan at the time. No prizes for guessing who the club fans preferred among the two.

5 years later in 2001, Ferguson sent shockwaves through the United hierarchy when he suddenly announced his decision to sever all ties with the club when his contract ended the following year. The club swiftly set about trying to identify a suitable successor. United solicitor and Old Trafford director at the time Maurice Watkins would later reveal how close United came to appointing Ferguson’s successor. “It was pretty close! We are certainly not talking weeks. It was that well advanced !”

We all know what happened next in the respective stories – Arsenal would go on to appoint Wenger despite headlines like “Arsene Who?”, and a phone call from Ferguson to Watkins would change everything. Ferguson decided to take a U-turn on his retirement decision; his family had convinced him to remain in charge of United. Plus, he needed to save United’s season after a terrible start.

In this edition of our What If series, we take a look at an alternate football world. One where the Arsenal board thought better of appointing an unknown French man from Japanese League. One where Ferguson did not go back on his retirement decision. One where the same Frenchman, who had made his name by the time another opportunity opened up for him on English shores, jumped and grabbed it.

Here we examine what the world of football would have been like if Arsene Wenger had joined Manchester United instead of Arsenal:

#1 David Beckham would have stayed at Manchester United

Beckham's relations with Ferguson broke down after 2000

Part of the famous Class of 92 alongside Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, Beckham seemed destined to be a Manchester United legend. He absolutely loved the club; he was a fan favourite, a fashion icon, and a serial winner. Oh, and he was quite good at football, too.

But it wasn’t to be – his relationship with Ferguson strained after 2000, and the final straw came after United’s 2003 FA Cup defeat against Arsenal when Ferguson kicked a boot at the midfielder’s head causing a gash above his eye. Ferguson was annoyed with Beckham’s life off the field; his obsession with fame and following, and the consequently perceived lack of commitment.

He was eventually sold to Real Madrid in the summer of 2003. Beckham later revealed he never wanted to leave the club and would have happily retired at Old Trafford. “I didn’t watch Manchester United for 3 years after that,” Beckham said. “I would never have left.”

Indeed, he never left in our world. With Arsene Wenger as the new Manchester United manager, Beckham rebuilt his relations with the club hierarchy and went on to stay at Manchester United for another decade. After a well-deserved testimonial, he left the Old Trafford pitch for one last time to thunderous applause from the club faithful.

#2 No invincibles

Premier League would have missed out on the story of the invincibles

The invincibles of 2003-04 stand a class apart as the best team the Premier League has ever seen. Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure at the heart of defence, Patrick Vieira and Gilberto Silva shielding them, Dennis Bergkamp playing behind Thierry Henry; Wenger managed a remarkable feat that was often marked impossible. Preston North end in 1888-89 remain the only other team to have accomplished the feat in the history of the English First Division.

Wenger at United would have gone on to forge formidable teams. He would perhaps have managed a better points tally than the Invincibles did. But to go an entire season unbeaten, there lie factors beyond your control that go your way for no apparent reason at all; such as Ruud van Nistelrooy missing a 90th-minute penalty in just the 6th match of the season. Such as a team of players signed over the span of a decade all having the best season of their Arsenal careers at once. Such as an injury to Slyvinho in 2000 that allowed Ashley Cole to take his place in the team and develop over the next 3 years.

As good a team as the Invincibles was, an unbeaten season involves all the stars aligning at just the right place at just the right time. Had Wenger gone to United instead of Arsenal, we would have missed out on one of the greatest Premier League stories of all time.

#3 England would have won Euro 2004

The England squad for Euro 2004 was talented enough to go all the way

The early 2000s saw a steady stream of English footballers approaching their peak to reach world class standards. In a tournament that was eventually won by Greece, England certainly packed sufficient talent to go all the way. Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Scholes, Terry, Ashley Cole...but once again, penalty shootouts proved their undoing.

David Beckham skied the first penalty of the evening. Even though Rui Costa missed a penalty for Portugal as well, Darius Vassell missed England’s 7th penalty to allow Ricardo to win it for Portugal.

In our world, England captain Beckham is still at his beloved Manchester United and in a settled, happy state of mind. He scores the first penalty – and that changes everything. Unlike Ferguson who had constant outbursts at the FA, Wenger has always enjoyed smooth relations with them. “I am very proud when I see five England players wearing the Arsenal shirt,” Wenger said once, highlighting his commitment to the national cause as well.

Euro 2004 was there for the taking – and under Wenger’s tutelage, his Manchester United core (Nicky Butt, Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, David Beckham) would have helped England seize the opportunity.

#4 Arsenal would not be consistent contenders for European places

Without Wenger, Arsenal would not have been regular contenders for European positions

Prior to Wenger’s arrival, Arsenal had finished 10th, 4th, 12th and 5th in their 4 seasons in the Premier League. Just to make it clearer, that’s an average league position of approx 8 over 4 seasons. After Wenger’s arrival, Arsenal then finished 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd over the next 9 seasons. That’s an average league position of 1.78.

In case you are an Arsenal fan and part of the Wenger Out brigade, this should serve as a timely reminder of the impact Wenger had. Almost single-handedly, he hauled Arsenal up from mid-table to turn them into consistent CL participants; they became part of the famous “Big Four”.

We can only speculate who would have taken over at Arsenal if not Wenger, but we can all agree that few if any could have replicated the success he enjoyed. Arsenal in other hands would have been something like the Everton of present – always up for a challenge; but not quite in the topmost echelon.

#5 Ronaldo would have gone to Barcelona

Under Wenger, Ronaldo would have developed into a different player

Even without Ferguson at the helm, Ronaldo would still have joined Manchester United. Arsenal were interested as well, but they did not have sufficient funds. “With the construction of their stadium, they were left with very little money and it wasn’t possible,” said Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes years later.

Under Wenger, Ronaldo would have developed into a different player. While Ferguson developed Ronaldo into a counter attacking beast, Ronaldo under Wenger would have been a completely different prospect altogether. Schooled in the Arsene way, Ronaldo would have specialised in one-two-ones, breaking midfield lines with timely runs and creating overloads on the wing. The effect would have been similar to Sanchez at Arsenal currently; a direct player in an Arsene team.

Over the years, Barcelona have made a habit of signing Wenger’s players. Overmars, Henry, Fabregas, Song...it is clear the similarity in style of play has had a huge role.

After a few years of development in the Premier League, then, it would be the Catalan club that would have come calling instead of Real. Football history as we know it would have turned on its head; Ronaldo and Messi alongside each other instead of being rivals, with them picking up invaluable skills from each other but missing out on the edge of the rivalry that pushed them to get better.

In any case, that would have been one fearsome Barcelona team under Guardiola.