Is Arsene Wenger a Frustrated Headmaster?

Arsene Wenger doesn’t like to spend big as it would break his tradition of bringing through young talent, but more significantly because it would go against the know-it-all image he has nurtured for himself.

Wenger seems satisfied to sacrifice silverware to maintain his smug aura. ‘The Professor’ may be called so because he is more like a school P.E teacher than a football manager these days. He likes nothing more than the warm praise of a room full of journalists after one of his teams of multinational 16-year-olds has demolished lower league opposition in the Carling Cup.

In such situations Wenger has nothing to lose. If he wins he is a genius. If he does not he is praised for his excellent youth policy regardless. The fact that only a tiny percentage of his young players are English does not seem to matter to most people.

Put bluntly Wenger seems be attracted to the open market of very young foreign boys. He likes to makes sure that they are physically up to scratch with an intense series of probing examinations before he pays anything for them.

He obviously admires their talents and likes to make them run round in front of him in uniform before entering their changing room (often unannounced) and pushing them to give him more, often insisting on one-to-one sessions to fine-tune their individual performances.

Does a transfer policy that depends so heavily on youth work? Wenger clearly has a lot to offer to young boys, but does this policy make for good dressing room harmony or does he need to bring in some old heads with proven experience to show them the ropes and help them to cope with Wenger’s clever tactics and complex mind games?

[Amazingly I wrote this comment/article about an hour before Arsenal announced the signing of Sol Campbell. Brilliant. Wenger really is clever. He can read my mind.]

Arsenal have not tasted victory in the league since the unbelievable season he enjoyed when his ‘untouchables’ lifted the Premier League trophy unbeaten in 2004. Wenger has had to bide his time at Arsenal before unveiling the extent of his penchant for youth. It has not always been this way. Of the 2004 team the only first team regulars under 26 were Ashley Cole, Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas and Jose Antonio Reyes. Experienced heads such as Campbell, Gilberto Silva and Jens Lehmann showed the way in adversity.

If Wenger did go out and spend big on an Edin Dzeko, a Marouane Chamakh or even a Hulk, and they did not live up to their price-tag, his precious image would be shattered. Wenger prides himself on not just investing in talented youngsters but also on balancing the book at Arsenal, selling players like Vieira and Henry while they still drew large fees despite their obvious significance to the team.

Although these frugal decisions earn him the trust of the board and a ‘job for life’, Wenger is by no means infallible. He almost certainly got rid of Gilberto Silva, who continues to play a pivotal role for Brazil, too soon. What Arsenal would do for an experienced defensive midfielder now.

Most Arsenal fans must surely be hoping that Arsene Wenger breaks with tradition and spends the money that his employers insist is available to him. The question is if he is willing to swallow his pride and put his head, and his reputation, on the line.



To read the official (but watered down) version of this blog in my new ‘Charlie Says’ column (complete with hilarious picture) click here:

http://www.dexysden.com/2010/01/is-arsene-wenger-a-frustrated-headmaster/#comments


I’m also on an ‘expert’ panel for the Football Manager Podcast tonight. Look it up on iTunes tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest to hear my dulcet tones.