Arsene Wenger had special praise for the African players he’s worked with as he looked back on 20 years in charge at Arsenal - and even longer as a manager.
The boss transformed Kolo Toure from an unknown into a world-class defender, and re-ignited Kanu’s career when he signed the Nigerian in 1999.
- Wenger on Theo and England
- Listen to live audio of the Burnley game
- Wenger - It's been a privilege for me
- Scouting Report: Burnley v Arsenal
“African players had a massive impact on my career because I always managed them right from the moment I started in the top league in France,” said Wenger.
“I had African players at Monaco and I like the fact that they were creative and they are usually attacking players with imagination. They have pace and power as well, and they usually combine strength and agility well. That’s very difficult to find.
“Africans are hugely passionate people and there is a big passion in Africa for the game. They are happy on the football pitch and that’s something which has been fantastic for us.
“Kanu had a massive impact here, Kolo Toure too, I had George Weah too… so all these players had a massive impact.”
More polls to come later in the season!
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
