Arsene Wenger no need anybody to prove say him right, but di way football don turn since him first talk about financial doping mean say him voice still dey ring. Back in 2000s, Wenger stand against wetin him call financial doping, and Chelsea under Roman Abramovich na di club wey many point finger at. Wenger tok say Chelsea na financially doped club. Him meaning na say unlimited financial resources dey improve performance, something wey no be every club, especially Arsenal, enjoy.
Later for 2010s, Wenger expand him point beyond Chelsea. Him agree with him former self, but him make am clear say di problem spread pass one club. Di term financial doping dey widely attributed to Wenger, and e get sense why. Him Arsenal win Premier League without losing one game. No team fit talk same. Him no do am through unfair money; Arsenal live on money wey dem produce. So why dem expect him to do am but other clubs no get same rule?
Di difference between Man City and Chelsea, apart from scale wey Man City take cheat, be say Chelsea come clean and hold themselves accountable. Same thing no fit talk for Man City. As fans, we deserve transparency. Wenger never call out Man City directly, at least no public knowledge. But him no need to. Any genuine football fan go understand wetin Wenger dey talk. Di outrage against Man City 114 guilty charges only bring Wenger comments back to front. Wenger dey fight right cause all along, even when dem mock am for complaining.
But Wenger legacy no start with that warning. Thirty years ago, David Dein decision to hire di Frenchman open irreversible era of multiculturalism, and e give birth to Premier League wey we know today. Arsenal bin dey chaotic flux. Dem sack Bruce Rioch, interims Stewart Houston and Pat Rice dey charge. Talk bin dey say Johan Cruyff go arrive, and Dein want fill information vacuum. Him summon team, reassure dem say new manager soon land, and na world-class addition. ‘His name na Arsène Wenger,’ Dein, club vice-chair, tok. Short pause, then one player voice call out: ‘Who the fuck is he?’
Di exclamation echo conventional wisdom. London Evening Standard billboards read ‘Arsene Who?’ before Wenger confirm as manager on 30 September 1996. At di end, Dein decision be arguably most seismic managerial appointment in modern English football history. E show say foreign manager fit succeed for England, and e usher in irreversible multiculturalism, giving birth to globalised Premier League we know today.
Wenger describe Arsenal dressing room wey him inherit as culturally English. Him set about making first signings, unknown Frenchmen Patrick Vieira and Rémi Garde. When him comot for 2018, every Premier League dressing room don turn United Nations. Him be trailblazer, precede Gérard Houllier and Rafael Benítez at Liverpool and, ironically because of mutual animosity, José Mourinho at Chelsea. All of dem benefit from him success. On di flip side, Tottenham ill-advised experiments with Christian Gross and Jacques Santini no go happen if Wenger never show road.
Him be right man at right time. Chelsea already embrace continental drift, appoint Ruud Gullit, and Wenger arrival match contemporary geopolitics. Tony Blair bin about to become prime minister, wave of European Union migration dey come, Polish plumbers and French footballers alike. Sky TV money dey make England best-paid country for footballers. First non-British or non-Irish manager for top flight na Dr Jozef Venglos, Aston Villa appoint am for 1990. Him tick all boxes of old English prejudice: foreign, academic, whimsical, tactical. For sceptics, him be utter failure. Wenger seem to fit Venglos mould. Dem nickname am Le Professeur because him wear glasses and speak five languages. Him captain Tony Adams think say him na geography teacher, while Ian Wright notice him clumsiness and dub am Clouseau, and him enjoy pranking am about bomb scare. ‘There is bum?’ Wenger reply, bemused, no know say Wright teammates dey laugh.
Sir Alex Ferguson talk say Wenger been dey Japan, him no know anything about English game. That line lay foundation for decade-long feud wey Ferguson later call toxic. Yet even bastions of English game acknowledge Wenger contribution. Neil Warnock, not natural soulmate, talk say Wenger change whole course of English football. Him make people wey don dey game long time realise say you must change with times because of nutrition and fitness guys wey dey come, and if you no move with times, you go get trodden on.
Wenger aesthetic playing style show well when him win first Premier League title for 1998. Na pastiche of Total Football wey culminate in Steve Bould drift out of back four to chip pass to advancing Tony Adams, who finish perfect in 4-0 win over Everton. Martin Tyler commentary: ‘Would you believe it?’ ‘That sum it all up.’ Dem deride Adams as donkey, but him become thoroughbred. Wenger genius dey in maintaining English core for him early side, graft on Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Marc Overmars and allow Dennis Bergkamp flourish. Nigel Winterburn, part of legendary back four, talk say rumours dey say dem advise Wenger to get rid of back four, but him think Wenger make him own decisions when him see players play and train, and see desire dem get. Later Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Freddie Ljungberg arrive to reach even greater heights of Invincibles.
Dr Yann Rougier join as sports scientist, and Ferguson, in charge of dominant Manchester United team, dey instinctively suspicious of new methods wey challenge him success. When England manager Glenn Hoddle, Wenger protege at Monaco, use Rougier for 1998 World Cup, United players come back singing praises of him nutritional approach. Ferguson vex, demand FA investigations. But most interventions now dem dey regard as standard, like using creatine supplement diets. Chocolate dem ban for Arsenal, but Winterburn reveal say manager strictures no always hold. ‘We go wait for Arsène to walk away, then most players go pile into small kiosk buy chocolate and eat Mars bars under table.’
Wetin become known as Evian broccoli diet dem introduce just as Adams announce say him be alcoholic. Lager na habitual post-match refreshment for British football. Adams attribute him late-career transformation to Wenger nutrition and him teetotalism. Eschew alcohol no dey remarkable among elite England players now. Hoddle also transform by Wenger holistic approach to exercise. ‘We dey dark ages in England by comparison,’ him talk. ‘I never had massage or warm-down at Tottenham. I become more supple and I soon fitter than ever.’ Wenger employ French osteopath Philippe Boixel and use English psychologist David Elliott. Arsenal be first club to sign up with ProZone, use stats to analyse performance. No many innovations in modern English football wey him no pioneer, and for that respect, him influence greater pass even Ferguson own, even if him success never measure up to Scot achievements.
By di end, Wenger French revolution don become common practice. Him be victim of him own success, him competitive edge dull. Only when prizefighters lay down gloves Ferguson fit articulate him appreciation. ‘Arsène is, without doubt, one of greatest Premier League managers and I am proud to have been a rival, a colleague and a friend to such a great man,’ him talk when Wenger leave Arsenal. Wenger fit raise quizzical Gallic eyebrow at friend description.
