Arsene Wenger: French Connection

They were invincible. A team built around strength and unity but catalysed by flair and skill, the unbeaten Arsenal team of the 2003/04 season embodies the pinnacle of Arsene Wenger’s dynasty. At the time no team was as formidable at both ends of the field and no manager in the world seemed more knowledgeable than Arsene.

The now 67-year-old had brought with him to the English game a visionary approach to player lifestyles and an understanding of the transfer market nobody came close to matching.

The Arsenal of old was loaded with talent bought on the cheap, specifically French talent. Wenger developed a reputation for buying mediocre players and making them world class and, with that, he had an attraction so appealing that none of his national counterparts would’ve batted an eyelid if the option to move to North London arose.

Of the French contingent at the club over the years, Patrick Vieira was among the best and Wenger was among the first to spot the midfielder’s ability. He cost the Gunners £3.5 million at the time and was sold on for just over £10 million nine years later.

Recalling the deal, Wenger claimed it only took the words, “please, stop. Come to Arsenal” to seal the deal, evidence yet again that Wenger’s authority was unprecedented and he could turn a player’s head with just a few words.

Wenger used to be able to secure the finest French players in the game from Thierry Henry to Emmanuel Petit to Robert Pires but today is a very different story. Despite the golden generation of ’Les Bleus’ young starlets, Arsene Wenger has just Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny as elite French nationals in his ranks and it seems the connection with talents from his country has disintegrated, but why?

A catalogue of Frenchmen have been subject of interest from Arsenal in recent seasons but deals seldom materialise. Among them was Dimitri Payet when he was at West Ham. Following reports linking Payet with a move to North London, the Marseille midfielder responded at the time saying, “when you see the way Arsenal play, when you are the kind of player who likes to play with the ball, one can only have fun in that team”.

A respectful analysis of the current Arsenal side but the fact he refused to comment anymore on Arsenal specifically was perhaps an indication it didn’t go beyond mere praise. Arsenal’s style of play remains strongly admired as does Wenger’s philosophy, but players seem to no longer associate the Gunners with trophies and success.

Perhaps it’s been the years of trophyless mediocrity which have led to Wenger and Arsenal’s reputation deteriorating and maybe working under Wenger’s stewardship is no longer the attractive proposition it once was. Why is Wenger specifically struggling in the French market though?

Wenger himself stated at the start of the season, "I think it's very difficult to find players and identify them. That's why everyone is on the market for the same players and deals. On the whole, in the transfer market there is very little happening because of the availability of players.”

His wise words are testament to the increasing struggle the Frenchman is facing with deals and it seems that working with a national counterpart may no longer be as essential as it used to be.

Midfield dynamo N’Golo Kanté provides us with further proof that the Wenger effect no longer works for everyone. The Frenchman said, after joining the Blues as opposed to Arsenal last summer, quite typically, that he was “so happy to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in Europe”, continuing with the claim that “the opportunity to work with Antonio Conte, a brilliant coach, and some of the best players on the world was too good to turn down”.

Drawing on that last part, perhaps it’s the existing contingent of players at the Emirates and not merely the manager which is failing to attract the right pool of players. There are no longer big characters in the Arsenal dressing room and players fear that they will not be surrounded by the best the world has to offer should they move to North London.

It’s a sentiment reinforced by Alexis Sanchez’s recent feeling of unsettlement, with many believing that the Chilean is agitated by the fact he practically, ‘carries’ the team at times.

The attraction of Conte also implies that younger managers can have as big a pull as older managers and perhaps Wenger’s age acts against him at times. The Frenchman has developed a reputation for being stubborn and refusing to compromise, not as flexible perhaps as his Italian counterpart.

It seems that it might not even be a case of French players developing an aversion towards Wenger’s ways, but players as a whole. The Frenchman may still have the negotiation abilities, history and formidable football know-how, but his recent record seems to be limiting his potential to attract the best.