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Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger: I Was 'Attracted' By Real Madrid Offer
Frenchman wants to win Champions League to leave 'stamp' on Gunners' history...
| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £34.00 | Draw £33.00 | Arsenal £21.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £35.00 | Draw £33.00 | Arsenal £21.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £34.00 | Draw £33.00 | Arsenal £21.50 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £35.00 | Draw £34.00 | Arsenal £21.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Sunderland £38.50 | Draw £35.50 | Arsenal £20.40 |
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Oct 19, 2009 9:12:58 AM
Arsene Wenger has admitted that he was very tempted to join boyhood club Real Madrid last summer, but revealed that unfinished business at Arsenal convinced him to stay.
The Frenchman was offered a lucrative deal with the Spanish giants, but said that the 'freedom' he enjoyed while working at the Gunners was a crucial part of his decision-making process.
"Real is the club of my childhood," Wenger explained to L'Equipe.
"When I was a kid, watching those guys in white, winning everything, then of course I am attracted by that club, but I have a pact with the young players of my team, and I want to succeed with that bet.
"I identified what was important in my job: freedom. Here, I have it.
"I could have earned bigger wages at Real, but I earn a good living in London. At my age, money can't play a key role.
"If I left for Real, I would have tried to filter through my philosophy, re-organised everything. I could have given foundations to the club's structure.
"That would not have prevented me from signing Ronaldo or Kaka. But that team is only built on bought players, while Real has a tradition of a beautiful game.
"They have to do what has been achieved at Barcelona through young players: creating a culture."
The respected tactician also provided insight into his footballing philosophies.
He said: "People say I love a 'romantic' game, which is a kind of searching for beauty. You need such an ambition at the start.
"However, I am not a champion for beauty and only for beauty. Pleasure also comes from winning.
"I advocate extra soul: a team built patiently, with young players dedicated to remain together for five or ten years, and that can identify with the culture of the game and the club.
"Maybe I am more a builder than an investor. Actually I am realistic.
"When I made them build Emirates Stadium, I told myself: 'How could we stay at the highest level playing with the best players, against the best clubs, respecting the well-balanced finances at the club?'
"To me, the only solution was creating a team of young players, little by little, to lead them to high level."
That philosophy, and loyalty to his carefully groomed players, explains why he chose not to pursue the likes of Xabi Alonso and Gareth Barry, who have signed for mega-rich Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively.
"I have been criticised for not hiring Xabi Alonso or Gareth Barry. But if I signed them, I would have killed Song, Diaby and Denilson," he insisted.
"My principles have forbidden me to do that. Actually, the moment when I was the most criticised at Arsenal, last season, was the moment when I did the most for the club.
"I told the shareholders we have to trust this team. Everything is based on my own conviction. If in two years I don't have any success, it will be my fault. It is a bet I made."
He also pointed the finger at teams like Real and City for the huge sums of money they have spent on their sides.
"That is not idealism," he said.
"We are very close to making it in the Champions League with a very young team, respecting a well-balanced budget, facing clubs that do not necessarily respect that. Playing when you lose €150 million, to me it is cheating."
Wenger is now the longest-serving manager in Arsenal history, but admits he wants to win a Champions League trophy, in order to leave an indelible mark on his club's history.
"I am not dreaming to become immortal," he qualified.
"When a coach remains a long time in a club, he has to leave that stamp, that mark. That is what I am dreaming to achieve.
"It would be unforgivable to have had the privilege of longevity and leaving no trace after me.
"But that means a win in the Champions League, because great wins reinforce certainties and give rightfulness to a culture."
Phillip Wen, Goal.com UK
The Frenchman was offered a lucrative deal with the Spanish giants, but said that the 'freedom' he enjoyed while working at the Gunners was a crucial part of his decision-making process.
"Real is the club of my childhood," Wenger explained to L'Equipe.
"When I was a kid, watching those guys in white, winning everything, then of course I am attracted by that club, but I have a pact with the young players of my team, and I want to succeed with that bet.
"I identified what was important in my job: freedom. Here, I have it.
"I could have earned bigger wages at Real, but I earn a good living in London. At my age, money can't play a key role.
"If I left for Real, I would have tried to filter through my philosophy, re-organised everything. I could have given foundations to the club's structure.
"That would not have prevented me from signing Ronaldo or Kaka. But that team is only built on bought players, while Real has a tradition of a beautiful game.
"They have to do what has been achieved at Barcelona through young players: creating a culture."
The respected tactician also provided insight into his footballing philosophies.
He said: "People say I love a 'romantic' game, which is a kind of searching for beauty. You need such an ambition at the start.
"However, I am not a champion for beauty and only for beauty. Pleasure also comes from winning.
"I advocate extra soul: a team built patiently, with young players dedicated to remain together for five or ten years, and that can identify with the culture of the game and the club.
"Maybe I am more a builder than an investor. Actually I am realistic.
"When I made them build Emirates Stadium, I told myself: 'How could we stay at the highest level playing with the best players, against the best clubs, respecting the well-balanced finances at the club?'
"To me, the only solution was creating a team of young players, little by little, to lead them to high level."
That philosophy, and loyalty to his carefully groomed players, explains why he chose not to pursue the likes of Xabi Alonso and Gareth Barry, who have signed for mega-rich Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively.
"I have been criticised for not hiring Xabi Alonso or Gareth Barry. But if I signed them, I would have killed Song, Diaby and Denilson," he insisted.
"My principles have forbidden me to do that. Actually, the moment when I was the most criticised at Arsenal, last season, was the moment when I did the most for the club.
"I told the shareholders we have to trust this team. Everything is based on my own conviction. If in two years I don't have any success, it will be my fault. It is a bet I made."
He also pointed the finger at teams like Real and City for the huge sums of money they have spent on their sides.
"That is not idealism," he said.
"We are very close to making it in the Champions League with a very young team, respecting a well-balanced budget, facing clubs that do not necessarily respect that. Playing when you lose €150 million, to me it is cheating."
Wenger is now the longest-serving manager in Arsenal history, but admits he wants to win a Champions League trophy, in order to leave an indelible mark on his club's history.
"I am not dreaming to become immortal," he qualified.
"When a coach remains a long time in a club, he has to leave that stamp, that mark. That is what I am dreaming to achieve.
"It would be unforgivable to have had the privilege of longevity and leaving no trace after me.
"But that means a win in the Champions League, because great wins reinforce certainties and give rightfulness to a culture."
Phillip Wen, Goal.com UK
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