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Arsene Wenger: Buying Patrick Vieira Helped Me To Earn The Respect Of Arsenal Fans
The Frenchman believes his fellow countryman's success in north London helped his own managerial credibility, whilst also commenting on the sale of Thierry Henry
14-Dec-2011 7:12:00 PM
By Joel Lamy
Getty
Arsene Wenger believes the signing of Patrick Vieira helped him to win over the fans at Arsenal after joining the club as a relatively unknown manager.
Wenger took over at Highbury in 1996 from Japanese side Nagoya Grampus Eight and Vieira was his first signing following his arrival at the club.
The French midfielder went on to make 406 appearances with the Gunners in a nine year spell, becoming the club captain during that time.
Speaking at a Q&A at the Emirates Stadium, Wenger told supporters that Vieira’s success after his signing from AC Milan helped him to earn the respect of the fans as a manager.
“People like Patrick Vieira I have a lot of fond memories of - he was the first player I bought,” Wenger said.
“When you buy your first one and he is the right one it gives you a lot of credit. I arrived here with little credit and Vieira, by coincidence, had the English qualities - he could battle with anybody - and also brought something from the technical French side.
“He had a great combination of the English fighting spirit, the bravery and the technical qualities of a midfielder.
“He is probably the one who gave me most credit and time to convince people that I could manage at this level.”
Vieira left in 2005, two years before another one of the club’s legends, all-time top scorer Thierry Henry, also departed.
Henry, who recently had a statue built to commemorate his time at the club following the Gunners’ 125th anniversary, left to join Barcelona whilst Vieira switched to Juventus despite both having a number of years left in their career.
However, Wenger explained that the thought of not recouping any money from the duo to spend on new players was what drove him to begrudgingly let them leave north London.
“In general, what is very important to understand is that we survived at the top in selling our good players,” Wenger added.
“What happened is that we sold them around the age of 29 and 30. Why? Because we needed the money and for them to not go for free.
“I adopted a way of thinking that it was better to sell a player one year too early than one year too late. If you sell too late you don't get any money and you cannot buy anymore. If you sell a player early he can still sign a longer contract somewhere else.
“In the cases of players like Patrick and Thierry, they were players who had given us nine years - their best years. Patrick could have made twice as much somewhere else with a four-year contract, but I did not want to give that to him.
“What happens in football is that a player goes over his peak and you still have to pay him the maximum money. There's always a difference between the moment when a player is well paid and his performance - there is a delay.
“When you get to a player who is 29, 30 years old and you want to renew his contract, you pay mega money knowing that he will give you two years at his best when he is a striker.
“You have to be calculated and ask if you can pay this money, then ask if you can keep five or six players who are into their 30s and cannot give you their maximum.
“Of course in these situations you can only achieve things as men, with heart and respect. But in these situations your intelligence has to rule your heart. That is vital.”
Wenger took over at Highbury in 1996 from Japanese side Nagoya Grampus Eight and Vieira was his first signing following his arrival at the club.
The French midfielder went on to make 406 appearances with the Gunners in a nine year spell, becoming the club captain during that time.
Speaking at a Q&A at the Emirates Stadium, Wenger told supporters that Vieira’s success after his signing from AC Milan helped him to earn the respect of the fans as a manager.
“People like Patrick Vieira I have a lot of fond memories of - he was the first player I bought,” Wenger said.
“When you buy your first one and he is the right one it gives you a lot of credit. I arrived here with little credit and Vieira, by coincidence, had the English qualities - he could battle with anybody - and also brought something from the technical French side.
“He had a great combination of the English fighting spirit, the bravery and the technical qualities of a midfielder.
“He is probably the one who gave me most credit and time to convince people that I could manage at this level.”
Vieira left in 2005, two years before another one of the club’s legends, all-time top scorer Thierry Henry, also departed.
Henry, who recently had a statue built to commemorate his time at the club following the Gunners’ 125th anniversary, left to join Barcelona whilst Vieira switched to Juventus despite both having a number of years left in their career.
However, Wenger explained that the thought of not recouping any money from the duo to spend on new players was what drove him to begrudgingly let them leave north London.
“In general, what is very important to understand is that we survived at the top in selling our good players,” Wenger added.
“What happened is that we sold them around the age of 29 and 30. Why? Because we needed the money and for them to not go for free.
“I adopted a way of thinking that it was better to sell a player one year too early than one year too late. If you sell too late you don't get any money and you cannot buy anymore. If you sell a player early he can still sign a longer contract somewhere else.
“In the cases of players like Patrick and Thierry, they were players who had given us nine years - their best years. Patrick could have made twice as much somewhere else with a four-year contract, but I did not want to give that to him.
“What happens in football is that a player goes over his peak and you still have to pay him the maximum money. There's always a difference between the moment when a player is well paid and his performance - there is a delay.
“When you get to a player who is 29, 30 years old and you want to renew his contract, you pay mega money knowing that he will give you two years at his best when he is a striker.
“You have to be calculated and ask if you can pay this money, then ask if you can keep five or six players who are into their 30s and cannot give you their maximum.
“Of course in these situations you can only achieve things as men, with heart and respect. But in these situations your intelligence has to rule your heart. That is vital.”
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