Yeah, I never got the impression that Wenger was above having dealings with these sorts of people. Always found it odd how he was going on about FFP here but seemed excited and involved with the PSG project.

jones wrote:

Khelaifi isn't exactly a man you'd associate with high integrity or morals but he's no emir either, he's a former tennis player who fluked his way into the ruling family's good graces and now runs their football business for them. I understand if association with someone like that is enough to be turned off someone one holds in high regard but then Wenger should've long lost all credit for being a lot closer with the Kroenkes before who are certified trash

the kroenke relationship wasn't really his choice though. they took over the club he was a long term employee of. these other relationships were entirely his choice.

goon wrote:

Yeah, I never got the impression that Wenger was above having dealings with these sorts of people. Always found it odd how he was going on about FFP here but seemed excited and involved with the PSG project.

not odd because by that time wenger didn't care about winning at that level and the PSG project wasn't a threat to arsenal. but domestically clubs like city and chelsea made it harder to get top 4.

looks like it's coming out earlier than I thought

I was more surprised to see Vieira being involved than I was ferguson. thought their relationship was a bit frosty, but that was mainly based on inferring things from afar

Meatwad wrote:
goon wrote:

Yeah, I never got the impression that Wenger was above having dealings with these sorts of people. Always found it odd how he was going on about FFP here but seemed excited and involved with the PSG project.

not odd because by that time wenger didn't care about winning at that level and the PSG project wasn't a threat to arsenal. but domestically clubs like city and chelsea made it harder to get top 4.

From a self interest point of view sure, it makes perfect sense. But whenever he talked about FFP and self sustainability he seemed passionate about it and I used to view him as a man of principle, but when it came to PSG it was as if he'd turn a blind eye to all that. 

In the end I think he's just someone who loves football. FFP would make the PL more balanced and attainable, but money was the only thing that could ever turn PSG into a power house and help French football become relevant.  

Klaus wrote:

I think Arsene was fundamentally correct when he said that love for a club comes from recognising a piece of yourself in it and its values. We stood for something that felt important both on and off the pitch. The issue has never been that Wenger eventually left Arsenal. The issue is that every passing year makes it more and more apparent that all the values I cared about seems to have left with him.

The problem with the "sustainable model"—it was just Wenger. As we knew. And it didn't work. Wenger failed to grasp his best opportunities for more than a decade and only left us or rather was pushed out when it was too late to manage any succession smoothly. I'll always love the man, but he was the architect of our present decline. The aura of good taste and class he developed enabled years of inadequate investment and a foolish structure in which one man was accountable for almost everything.

And that's why the problem isn't entirely Arteta now, and why we're still talking about Wenger, bless him.


Would have love the Amazon documentary during Wenger's reign. Would love to see all his dressing room talks.

Off topic but in the same match what happened to Nasri? 😆

Fucking hell how long has it been since he retired?

Like four months 😆

I think he last kicked a ball when Anderlecht released him in 2020 though, and when he, perhaps not surprisingly, couldn't find a new club again he called it quits this year.


All the players in their 40s and 50s last night were in better shape than him. 😆

I just can’t understand how a professional athlete with no physical impairment or disease allows themselves to lose shape to this extent. Just goes to show his mindset I guess.

Makes perfect sense to me. He's no longer a professional athlete, has had a lifelong struggle with fitness and attitude, is probably a heavy drug user or even addict, and is no doubt emotionally affected by being so widely despised and by his failures as a player. Gascoigne type really.

Jesus Christ Burns 😆 why would you think he's a drug addict?

Hey, I said probably. The proof is in the puddin' 😃

goon wrote:

Yeah, I never got the impression that Wenger was above having dealings with these sorts of people. Always found it odd how he was going on about FFP here but seemed excited and involved with the PSG project.

IIRC he said he was interested in the DoF role at PSG because of their location, and support base for both supporters and players in a single team city scenario.  He was excited by the potential of the opportunity for in house development.

Burnwinter wrote:

Hey, I said probably. The proof is in the puddin' 😃

Yeah but there is no puddin, Nasri ate it.

Lost all respect for Wenger when he started pushing FIFA's absurd World Cup every two years plan.

jones wrote:

Jesus Christ Burns 😆 why would you think he's a drug addict?

i think a proper drug addict would be slimmer.

22 days later

https://www.football365.com/news/arteta-wenger-return-would-be-huge-boost-for-arsenal

https://www.football365.com/news/wenger-admits-regret-staying-loyal-to-arsenal
Speaking in his new documentary film, ‘Arsene Wenger: Invincible’, the 72-year-old explained how he feels something may have been “broken” after guiding Arsenal to an unbeaten league season in 2003/04.

“I regret. I should have gone somewhere else. I identified myself completely with the club and that was the mistake I made. Now there is no special reason for me to go there. All the rest is purely emotional and that is less important.”

IMO he still has unresolved issues with the club and they way his tenure was ended, which is possibly a big factor in why he now regrets staying as long as he did. That said he's NOT a victim as he had over a decade to change things after DD departed.

Give it a rest ffs by now nobody cares if he's a victim

he walked a long and burdensome road, though much of it was of his own making and his own choices. I don't blame him for still being salty about how things turned out, or not really wanting to revisit the club. hes said before it felt like a divorce, so one wouldn't really expect him to be keen to go back to the stadium or be part of the setup in any form

You would have hoped time would have healed all that by now though, it would be lovely to see him at games now and then.

Id hoped that too, but it doesn't sound like he's interested in coming back. not going to hold it against him. I couldnt fathom throwing yourself into something so completely, and it just peters out, accompanied with a chorus of boos

I've dispensed with any ill feeling towards Wenger about how the latter years turned out. I'm still angry and frustrated at where it has left us at a club, but I'm channelling that more towards the ownership and board than the man himself. I'd rather look back fondly on the good years. It isn't productive, and does nobody any good to revisit the old arguments. For all his failings, Arteta has moved us on as a squad significantly in his two years and it feels to me like we're now beginning the next chapter after the post-Wenger phase. That Arteta brings his own issues and causes as much divisiveness as the latter Wenger years is a cruel joke.

I'd also desperately love to see that new doc in the cinema but they aren't showing it near me. I had actually looked at going to Belfast or London for it, which is a bit mad, but I can't make it work. I'll need to settle for a takeaway and a few beers on the sofa.

Adore this man, and as a stubborn, passionate lover myself, I can understand the distancing. He can express himself however he wants as I won't be taking it too seriously. Suspect his thoughts, regrets, grievances will continue to oscillate with time so not holding him at his words for time being.

I also don't for a second believe he regrets his time with the club. I suspect he has his own thoughts on what he could have done differently, but if he was to do it again he'd still be there at the end being forced out the door against his will.

I think what really hurts him is the way it ended, with these fucking con men coming in and sacking him on Gazidis's watch, and then Ivan buggered off to Milan a few months later himself.

Looking forward to catching the new documentary. Hopefully sometime soon here in the US as well.

But yeah, Wenger is being petty. Yeah I said it.

Also, why is this thread in other football sekshun? Kind of proves his point doesn’t it.

Gazza M wrote:

he walked a long and burdensome road, though much of it was of his own making and his own choices. I don't blame him for still being salty about how things turned out, or not really wanting to revisit the club. hes said before it felt like a divorce, so one wouldn't really expect him to be keen to go back to the stadium or be part of the setup in any form

Interestingly sympathetic take on Nasri's drug addiction …

I'm glad to see the Wenger film coming out. Seems like he's loosening his lips a tiny bit about all the behind the scenes stuff, but not giving it all away. Be great if all the files get declassified one day.

https://www.football365.com/news/arsenal-calum-chambers-roma-jose-mourinho-shock-transfer
However, after the move from Highbury to the Emirates in 2006, Arsenal lacked funds and struggled to remain title contenders, despite staying in the top four every year until Wenger’s penultimate term.

“It changed completely the landscape (the move from Highbury) because we had limited resources to maintain the club at the top level,” the Frenchman added

“For me personally, it’s my biggest achievement at the club, to remain – people speak only when you won – but we were three times second, five times third, six times fourth and that consistency is the most difficult with the limited resources that we had at that time and I’m very proud of that.”

This is an example of where AW loses me with his selective memory/half truths/smoke and mirrors.
He has spoken previously about the time of restricted finances being from the move in 2006-07, to the new commercial contracts that began in 2014-15. During this time his record is 1x 1st; 0x 2nd; 3x 3rd & 5x 4th. None of the parameters involving the stadium project (2000 - finances, 2003-04 start of construction & 2006-07 the move), meets the numbers given by AW. The ONLY way AW has 5x 3rd is to include his shortened 1st season at the club where he missed the start of the season. Likewise his 6thx 4th was the last season before the move and he only finished 2nd 1x after the move.

Yes I'm nit picking as he's still being The Spin Dr & making false/embellished claims to make his record look better than it was after the move. He also fails to mention that he also maintained generating pre-tax operating profits in most of those seasons, & that he did so primarily by player sales (and then not directly reinvesting all those funds back into the team). Our revenues per season increased by about E100m after the move; another E70m in 13-14 and another E80m in 14-15 following the new commercial deals, (peaking @ E487m in 16-17 before dropping below E400m as we fell out of UCL and then UEL).

As such his 'biggest' achievement is more about supporting/sustaining the financial model that allowed the shareholders to not need to invest any funds into the club, and the BoD to not grow commercial deals beyond the traditional match days sponsorship during most of that time. Our biggest increases in revenue post the move prior to the new deals (after the 10 year lock down), was achieved by increases to ticket prices.

Yes he is still our most successful manager and his legend status is assured via The Invincibles, but his legacy does not live on on or off the pitch and much of his 'sacrifice' during those years has subsequently been made pointless with our demise that began under his tenure. Similarly the new stadium has failed to achieve any of it's footballing objectives, and the only outcome it has succeeded in has been to increase match day revenues via increased attendances and ticket prices.

Very good post Anzac, I agree with all that. Despite Wenger's insistence he was obsessed with winning, his pattern of stewardship at the club obviously took in a range of factors, and some of the financial decision-making was obviously very wrong in retrospect. The consistency was a great achievement but there were negative impacts during his tenure too.

8 days later

Interesting Wenger's most regret missed signing at the end of his career is not Mbappe but Kante. 

Not surprising, we would have won at least a title if not two and he might still be at Arsenal.

Yeah I think it makes sense too. Mbappe was so young, and we've had a top class striker in Auba for the last few years anyway. But Kanté is one of the best midfielders in the history of the Premiership. He had a transformative effect on both Leicester and Chelsea, arguably France too. He has won everything you can possibly win in football except the Euros. And he plays on a position that we haven't been able to sort out for the last 12 years. We could have had him for a decade. We would have won Premier League at least once with him here. Instead we finished runners up to Leicester.

The stupid thing though was not getting him after the Leicester title win because we didn't feel he was worth it then compared to the options we had.

Just one among many other "penny wise pound foolish, don't kill our existing inadequate players" decisions of the Wenger era.

Now that we're out of that time it's possible to see some of the benefits of Wenger's relentless support of players too though.