Wenger Finally Puts Pen to Paper

Good as his word, Arsene Wenger has put his (I imagine) rather suave signature on a new Arsenal contract. It’s three years at a very healthy £4 million a year, which is more than enough to keep him in tailored suits and tracksuits until 2011. Wenger says he “felt a responsibility” towards the youngsters he’s bringing through at Arsenal, and wants to see his promising young team reach maturity. If you’ve seen Cesc Fabregas play this season then you’ll know what he means.

But the new deal also confirms Wenger as one of those rare beasts in the English game, the long serving manager.

Wikipedia (first port of call for the uninformed like me) has a list of English Football League managers by date of appointment, and you may or may not be interested to learn that Wenger is currently fourth on that list.

1. Dario Gradi, Crewe Alexandra, appointed 16th June 1983
2. Fergie, Man Utd, 6th November 1986
3. Graham Turner, Hereford United, 1st August 1995
4. Arsene Wenger, Arsenal, 1st October 1996

After that it tails off a bit, as these are the only four who’ve done 10 years or more. Full respect to Dario Gradi though. While it’s easy to see why Fergie keeps going at Man Utd, where he’s treated like a king and can buy the finest players in the world (and David Bellion.) But Gradi has spent years getting by at the Alex on a shoestring, sometimes less. He’s relinquished a lot of first team coaching duties recently, but still retains the titles of manager and technical director.

Soccer Forums

Team/International Results

Category: England, English Premier League, World Football

Tags: Alex Ferguson, Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, Crewe Alexandra, Dario Gradi, England, English Premier League, Manchester United, World Football, World Soccer

Subscribe   The Offside RSS Feeds

Print

Share