Exactly 20 years ago Arsenal made a signing that not only changed their fortunes but also changed English football for the good. September 22, 1996, was the day that saw a 46-year old and relatively unknown Arsene Wenger signing for Arsenal.
After the Gunners sacked Bruce Rioch in the summer of 1996, rumours of Johan Cruyff becoming the next coach was doing the rounds. But the deal never materialised and instead the North London club signed a manager who was working in Japan. He had previously led AS Monaco Ligue 1 and Coupe de France titles but they were not enough to assure the fans that the team was in safe hands.
Even Pat Rice, who was Wenger’s assistant boss for 16 years, was shocked with Wenger’s appointment.
“The first I knew was when we went to pick him up!” Rice said as quoted in The Mirror.
“He just said to me, that as far as he was concerned, he wanted me to be his number two.”
But little did they know that the man’s legacy as a football manager will be second to none.
One of the most influential managers of the world, the French tactician did not enjoy a trophy-laden career but it is safe to say that he injected a new dimension in English football. Flawless passing, possession was never seen that much important in those years but Wenger made them important for his team and the results started coming for the Gunners.
Before Wenger’s arrival, the Gunners finished 10th , 4th, 12th and 5th. But after that, they never finished outside the top four . Wenger had a very successful first ten years with the club. From 1996 to 2006, the North London Club won the Premier League thrice, FA Cup four times, reached the Champions League final for the first time in their history and went through the 2003-04 league campaign undefeated.
But unfortunately, the likes of Thierry Henry, Denis Bergkamp, Robert Pirès, Freddie Ljungberg, Patrick Vieira were never replaced and Arsenal are now a pale shadow of the team that dominated England during the first half of the last decade. The manager has received severe criticism in recent years for failing to win silverwares but in this crazy football scenario where money has become a vital factor to guarantee success, he has always backed his principles and has done fairly well.
The 66-year old has not won as many trophies as the likes of Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson but he will be always remembered for his immense contribution to the English football.