Wenger Feared Destroying Gallas, Believes Arsenal Legend Dixon

Arsene Wenger needed a lot of ammunition before he was able to pull the trigger on stopper William Gallas, whose time wearing the Arsenal armband was tumultuous to say the least.

Many were unsure about the leadership qualities of the fiery Frenchman in the first place, while his ex-Chelsea status perhaps did little to help matters.

The key events that led Wenger to relieving him of his duties included the defender's sit-down protest at Birmingham City last season, his tabloid-friendly partying and, finally, his behind-the-scenes exposé which hinted at inter-squad tensions.

However, former Arsenal defender Lee Dixon, currently a pundit, has revealed that Wenger was loathe to snatch the armband from his countryman, as he didn't want to shatter the confidence of his charge.

Dixson revealed: "I spoke to Arsène [earlier this season], who was thinking to himself, 'If I take the captaincy from him, it could affect him and I might lose him'.

"I had been critical of Gallas as a captain and leader. I replied to [Wenger] that surely Gallas isn't the right man for the job, if he is going to sulk or not do his job on the pitch just because you take something away.

"Arsène said that the position of the club at that particular time meant there wasn't any ­natural person to take over. That's why they were going with Gallas and had to get on with it."

It must be noted, however, that Gallas' performance levels, confidence and on-field leadership appeared much-improved just before his tabloid rant concerning the dressing room.

Now, Wenger has hinted that Gallas, dropped from the squad to face Manchester City at the weekend in a game that ended in an embarrassing 3-0 defeat, could return for the Champions League clash with Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday.

Without the armband, of course.

Greg Ptolomey, Goal.com