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Former Liverpool midfielder Graeme Souness has snubbed iconic former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger while naming the two greatest managers in Premier League history.
According to Souness, the two most influential managers in the 30-year history of the Premier League are Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola.
Wenger is the longest-serving manager in Premier League history, having managed the Gunners from 1996 to 2018. During that time, he won three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups.
However, Souness believes that Wenger's achievements and influence in the Premier League are much lesser in comparison to Ferguson and Guardiola.
Souness has claimed that Wenger had a very impressive first ten years as the Arsenal manager but did not do particularly well after that.
The former Liverpool player has also credited Sir Alex Ferguson for rebuilding his Manchester United side successfully time and again. He told talkSPORT:
“No not for me. I think he had a fantastic 10 years, but he did inherit the best back-five arguably in world football.
“He had a knowledge of French football when France produced the best group of players in the history of French football and he had an insight before anyone else did.
“For 10 years they were the real deal, then for another decade I don’t think he came anywhere near that. I think [the greatest legacy] goes to Fergie, he built three or four teams, his legacy is the largest."
Souness has hailed Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola for bringing a whole new dimension to the English game. He added:
“Pep has definitely bought something different into our game, the playing out from the back was creeping into the game but it was a surge when he arrived, with pitches improving you could do that more.
“Central defenders and full-backs were never entirely comfortable taking the ball in their own box, but the game has evolved and everyone now does it in the higher leagues, I would say he has had a major, major influence on where the game has gone.”
Arsenal are where they are thanks to Arsene Wenger
Regardless of Arsene Wenger's achievements at Arsenal, his contributions towards the club cannot be underestimated.
During his early years at the club, the Frenchman made the Gunners a force to reckon with, emerging as the biggest challengers to Manchester United.
However, as the north Londoners moved to their new stadium, leaving Highbury, things started to go downhill.
Tight finances meant that Arsenal had to part ways with their star players almost every season.
But Wenger ensured that the Gunners were still competitive and qualified for the Champions League almost every season.
