Wenger keen to pass on management philosophy

Whilst many Arsenal fans are wondering who will succeed manager Arsène Wenger when he eventually steps down, the Frenchman is probably not looking that far away from within the club.

A few ex-Gunners have already begun their management careers, with Tony Adams and Steve Bould currently gaining their management experience, and David O'Leary has already managed in the top-flight.

However, the Frenchman warns that to be a successful manager in the top-flight, there must be nothing but 100% dedication to the job, and it is to his ex-players and his current young charges that he is looking to pass on his philosophy on football management.

Wenger said: "The manager is a strong guide inside the club for the players.

"From generation to generation, you want your philosophy to survive. Of course every player with his own character and personality brings a little bit of something that you feel is important to the game to the next generation.

"Now that I have been long enough in the job I have had many players that have become managers. You feel that at least you didn't disgust them from the job. The fact that you had players and gave them a taste to be a manager is always a big satisfaction.

"I believe all [my ex-players] have the qualities to do it. For example David Platt went for it, Paul Merson went for it and stopped again. I believe that Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon, Martin Keown, Steve Bould, Tony Adams can do it. I expect them to do it.

"They have the qualities but do you want to sacrifice your life for this job? It's as simple as that because there is no in-between. Sometimes people who have played for their whole careers do not want to do it anymore.

"Steve Bould is at the moment a very good coach but at the moment maybe the life is more convenient for him.

"It is not always a sign of quality to be a manager, it is more a sign of craziness. It is a choice of life, for me it is a job for a single man. You have to be single, single-minded as well, you have to sacrifice a lot of your life and not everyone wants to do it.

"If you take a guy like Steve Bould, he has played from the age of 18 or 20 to 37, 38... and he has children. In our job you must be ready to take your luggage and go from one country to the next, to Greece, to Japan. It is not a family life.

User Comments

okunlola olaniyi saheed

Posted on 7 Oct, 2008 at 01:17 AM - Reply

to be a manager at arsenal simply means the person must be frugal and highly tecnical that is just the basic requirement then he must have eyes for young and great player can these ex-arsenal player fulfil this

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