"He was a miracle worker": Ex-Arsenal chairman still angry at Wenger's exit
The man who brought the Frenchman to the North London club isn't happy about how he was pushed out
Arsenal are flying high in the Premier League. Despite finally losing their first game of the league season, falling 3-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford, the Gunners retained their status at the top of the table, pushed by the performances of Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka. While Arsenal fans are undoubtedly happy to be back at the top under Mikel Arteta, according to former vice-chairman David Dein they sure could do some repenting on the way they pushed Arsène Wenger, the club's most laureate manager, out the door.
Arsene Wenger and David Dein during the club's trophy laden years
The now-72-year-old Frenchman left the Gunners in 2018, after the atmosphere at the club grew increasingly toxic for him during his last seasons at the club. Despite winning three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups and reaching two European finals with the Gunners, planes flew over stadiums with messages demanding for his dismissal when long-gone where the days when Wenger was leading Arsenal to an undefeated, title-winning season.
Someone who was there from the start was David Dein, then co-owner and vice-chairman of the North London club, who was the main responsible for bringing Wenger to Arsenal, and he isn't happy about the way things ended. "He was a miracle worker, and they just let him go", the British businessman explained in a recent interview.
Dein, who left Arsenal in 2007 on grounds of differences with the rest of the board, was one of the architects of the club's most successful era in recent memory, but he's disappointed in how things ended: "He left in a similar way to me. I thought the club owed Arsene a duty of care, at least a discussion. We need a change but how do you want this to be done? Do you want to be involved? What can we do? Would you like a different role, or would you prefer to exit elegantly? You must have dialogue".
"It didn't happen in my case, didn't happen in his. And that really hurt him. I would have done it differently", added Dein, who thinks that Wenger still had a lot to offer the club, "He's an Arsenal man, 22 years at the club. Wasn't his knowledge worth cultivating? Look at where he is now? So he's not good enough for Arsenal, but he is good enough to be head of global development for FIFA, in charge of 211 countries. He should have been used by us surely, his knowledge, his skill, his encyclopaedic awareness of players. He's got to be used".
Wenger was the Arsenal manager between 1996 and 2018
With Arsenal now flying high once again in the league, it could be time to finally pay Arsène Wenger his deserve hommage, after the disappointing way that he was forced out.
Continue reading: "I can't say no to Arsenal": The signing Arteta wants this January
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