Why doesn’t Wenger like to employ Arsenal legends as coaches?

Campbell reveals his frustration with Arsene Wenger!

Arsenal legend Sol Campbell is certainly known to be one of Arsene Wenger’s greatest ever signings, with the centre back having joined the Gunners from arch rivals Spurs, for free! The former England international became a club legend at Arsenal, but like so many legends of the Wenger era, he’s been turned away by Le Prof in regards to a return to the club.

Sol Campbell has revealed that despite hoping for a return to Arsenal in a coaching capacity, he knows it’s unlikely that Arsene Wenger will come calling. Campbell has reportedly obtained the relevant coaching basis to work on his badges, but despite coming forward for Arsenal, it seems that Wenger wasn’t keen on recruiting him. Campbell therefore also joins the likes of Henry and Vieira, both whom have also made themselves available to the Gunners in the past.

Campbell told the Metro: ‘I think Arsene just has his team, has his frequency and maybe he doesn’t want to change that frequency too much. He has a model that he’s happy with and he might change in the future, who knows. He probably thinks he has everything he needs at the moment.’

Our record goalscorer Thierry Henry was the latest player to find himself unwanted at Arsenal by Arsene Wenger, despite having worked with the youth sides for a number of months. Wenger was concerned about Henry’s commitment to SkySports, potentially interfering with his coaching duties at Arsenal. Henry was subsequently told to choose one or the other according to reports at the time; and the Frenchman now finds himself on the coaching setup of the Belgian national team.

Vieira has also been rejected by Wenger in the past, with the former French midfielder hoping to join up with the Gunners when his playing career came to an end. Vieira was hoping to start his career into coaching and management, at Arsenal, where he’d be able to work alongside a lot of familiar faces. Wenger however wasn’t having any of it and Vieira subsequently joined the Manchester City setup. He is currently the New York City manager in the MLS.

More recently Mikel Arteta also made the move to Manchester City to work alongside Pep Guardiola at the start of the current season. Arteta wasn’t reportedly offered a coaching contract at Arsenal, despite supposedly being keen to remain with the Gunners after retiring from playing. Many fans were left appalled with the decision and it’s kept Arsene Wenger in the limelight.

I can understand Wenger’s decision for not wanting to change his coaching team around too much. After all, he’s had pretty much the same structure and faces in his team during the 20 years at Arsenal and is unlikely to want to see that change. However perhaps a few fresh faces, especially Arsenal legends, would bring new light to the club and to the training sessions.

Is Wenger right to turn away these Arsenal legends?

By AH

7 Comments

  1. Former great players don’t mean they will be great coaches.

    Henry chose the money to be a pundit and Wenger was right to kick him off.

  2. I think Le Prof already has had Steve Bould as his abled assistant coach for his senior team for long now.. And he also has other abled coaching staff in his technical team.as well. I think when Arteta retired at Arsenal, there was no vacancy in the coaching department to accommodate his recruitment even if Arsenal wanted to employ him. Hence his departure to Man City.

    And for Thierry O’henry in particular, his I too known when he joined the Sky Sports TV football punditry on which he has resorted to be making anti-Arsenal views and damaging opinions against Le Prof from there must have made Le Prof not to go further length with him as a coach for Arsenal. In the case of Patrick Vieira, I think he was looking at himself as the person who can make Arsenal win the title again and also take over from Le Prof as the Arsenal manager even before he obtained his coaching badges at Man City if his comments are to be held serious. Hence, he looked to be a potential danger to Le Prof’s managerial job at Arsenal.

    And in the case of Solomon Campbell, I think he didn’t try to get his badges early after his playing retirement. Which would have allowed him to go into coaching job if he wanted to do so before now. He has appeared to be more interested in politics than to be a football coach as he went into politics. But I think he’s on Sky Sports TV football analysts panel now. And I’ve never heard him on it and even before he became a panelist on Sky Sports to say anything derogatory against Arsenal and Le Prof. I think he’ll be a good person Le Prof can work with should there be a need at Arsenal to employ a coach. But has Campbell his badges now and has he coached at the academy level before? If he hasn’t and keen at coaching at Arsenal, he may have to start his coaching job at the Arsenal academy school first. Can he do that now?

  3. Wenger likes to be consistent with everything over long periods, and he’s not a fan of change, certainly not big changes anyway. Hence why he keeps the same players around, same tactics, same formation, same approach to transfers, and so on. So it’s only natural it would also include the coaches.

    It’s amazing when you think of the quality ex-players now retired, that could be coaching at Arsenal. None of them feel like manager material, but certainly at a coaching level they could be very handy.

  4. Same reason for a lot of things he does and does not do. Stubbornly sticking to his system and philosophy.

    He doesn’t believe in spending on DMs
    He is loyal to certain average players
    He does not like to take risks. It’s okay to take a risk once in a while
    He thinks some players who are average or good are world class

    He earns around £6 to £9 million a year, has job security and no pressure to win trophies. So he can do pretty much anything he wants

    I’m just glad we won back to back FA Cups so that at least Alexis and Ozil can say that they won something with us

  5. I think we have missed out to a certain extent by not giving some ex players a chance on the coaching side. Sometimes it’s good to freshen things up a bit.

    Viera and Berkhamp particularly were so influential as players they would be respected if they were to do some coaching at our club, seems a waste not to use their experience.

  6. The thing is, he probably doesn’t want to get rid of the coaches he already trusts as doing a good job. There are, however, Arsenal legends in coaching positions, Bould and Ljungberg, I also believe Pires has just taken a job with the club, that and many Arsenal legends work in the scouting network, Keown for example. He wanted Henry as a coach and, knowing Vieira, he probably asked for too much money.

  7. I think it is very difficult to predict very correctly the mindset of other people but whatever we write or say will only amount to speculations and i would like to add mine by saying i will continue to support Arsenal on the fringe until we deliver an A rated Cup but as it stands Wenger is an old solution that itself is now a problem.

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