Best young players recruited by Arsene Wenger (Part 1)
Arsene Wenger is probably one of the best football managers to have ever set foot in the English Premier League. He joined the Gunners more than a decade ago, in 1996 and is the only non-English manager to go on and win a Double in the Premier League.
He is also the only manager in EPL history to have gone through an entire season without losing even a single match. Wenger is often referred to as the miracle worker by the board of directors at Arsenal. The reason being his unique way of approaching a
game, as he tends to go all out and insists on playing beautiful football.
But, the manager’s best quality by far is his eye to spot talents in the rough. Over the seasons, he has taken young unknown players and turned them into household names. Here are some of those players:
Patrick Vieira
Almost immediately after joining Arsenal, Wenger demanded that the team sign Patrick Vieira from AC Milan. His demand was eventually met as the player was signed for around three and a half million pounds. However, little did everyone know at that time that
this figure would prove to be a bargain in the long run. Vieira was almost unknown when he was bought and most people had doubted his integrity but, Wenger knew what he was doing from day one.
During Vieira’s first full season with Arsenal in 1998, he went on to help his team win the double. He formed one of the best midfield partnerships with Emmanuel Petit and even earned a call up to the French national team that won the World Cup the same
year. Vieira was turning out to be just the player Wenger had imagined. He was strong, composed and could read the game brilliantly. His physical presence was also immense.
Patrick eventually went on to captain the Arsenal team and it was under his leadership that the club went through an entire season without suffering defeat even once. This was a feat that was never achieved in the league before and made the world take note
of the team, the player and the manager. Wenger had proved his worth by picking up a diamond in the rough and turning him into a household name.
Vieira left the team after the 2004-2005 season, leaving behind a legacy and also a name in the Arsenal folklore. In his last match, he scored the winning penalty that saw Arsenal beat Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Over the years, Vieira proved
to be one of the best defensive midfielders to have ever played for the team. He had great technique, a great head on his shoulders and made some of the best tackles ever seen.
He also provided the much needed height to the Arsenal side which has been missing ever since the player’s departure. Meanwhile, the player also proved to be a pivotal figure in the French squad that went on to win the World cup and the Euro in 2000. Had
Wenger never recruited the player, he would have never gone on to be what he is today. Some even say that had Wenger not found the player, France might have never lifted the World Cup trophy.
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