Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger spoke in the build up to Saturday’s trip to face Stoke City and made a surprise revelation that links him with German playmaker Mesut Ozil.

Wenger is a keen watcher of others sports, and spends most of his free time watching whatever football match he can find on TV. However, according to the man himself, he also enjoys watching basketball.

“I like team play, so [I watch] basketball because we have as well many French players who go and play in the NBA,” Wenger told Arsenal.com. “So I follow as well the French players. I like Tony Parker and before him Michael Jordan of course. I think Tony Parker opened the way for many French players to join the league.”

The player that Wenger refers to, Tony Parker, happens to play for Spurs – San Antonio Spurs, that is. He started playing in the NBA in 2001 and is still going at the age of 35.

Basketball is a hugely popular sport among many footballers, and not just in the Arsenal squad. Several big names, including Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil, have been spotted in attendance whenever there’s a game in London. For the sake our sanity, though, we hope that nobody takes inspiration from the sport.

Football fans very much like their games to one-sided and not end-to-end with goals flying in at both ends of the pitch. The Premier League is one the most end-to-end leagues around and it does no good for the heart. With Stoke City next up for Arsenal, a nice boring victory would do just fine.