Arsenal Legend Hits Back At Graeme Souness Over Recent 'Wenger' Comments

Written By Albert Echatah

Following Graeme Souness’s criticism of the renowned former Arsenal manager, Martin Keown has backed his former boss.

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The Liverpool legend launched a fairly forceful attack, asking if Wenger is a “football man” and implying that he was “very, very lucky” because of the squad he oversaw at Arsenal.

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The Scot asserted that Wenger’s French connections allowed him to bring in some of his country’s greatest players and that he inherited the best defence in the world.

When asked if he thought Wenger was a “football man,” Souness responded, “No, not particularly,” to the Three Up Front podcast. He’s been telling his teammates what to do while I’ve been on the bench. Sky has made some really odd choices while I’ve been working for him on games.

‘My take on him was he got very, very lucky at a time when French football produced its greatest ever group of players. Inherited the best back five in world football and a 22-year-old [Dennis] Bergkamp. I think Wrighty [Ian Wright], there was still life in him.

‘And then he had 10 years where he won a couple of FA Cups, because that cycle had been and gone. I’ve never spoke to him about football. He would never come into my office after a game, the only manager that never did.

‘I’d go to his office after a game, he would never be there to talk football. I don’t know if he’s a football man or not. I never spoke football with him.’

Although Keown did not entirely criticise Souness for his viewpoint, he did imply that it was aggressive language to criticise an old adversary. However, he disagreed with Wenger’s claims that he wasn’t a “football man” and said he was fortunate to have discovered a talented bunch of players in north London.

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‘I think they’re both fighting men. He [Wenger] said when he was at school every day he was fighting in some fashion,’ Keown told talkSPORT. ‘I believe when he was manager at Monaco, you talk to the people there, Glen Hoddle, he was a totally different animal, and I mean an animal.

‘It’s a difference of opinion, but Graeme really doesn’t know the man. He’s a complete football man. The only thing in his life, really, is football, and what he does now for FIFA is to try to grow the game around the world and try to make the game even better for everyone else to play and take part in.

‘I think he’s a fighting man. He was one of his adversaries, he probably came off second best, he had a few bloody noses when he came up against Wenger’s teams and he hurts a little bit.’

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