Ex-Gunner, Matthew Upson, has revealed why he believes that Arsene Wenger isn’t able to work alongside a director of football.

  • Upson played under Wenger for three years
  • Also played for West Ham and Leicester
  • Wenger recently shot down questions over director of football appointment
  • Former centre-back believes that director of football would be a ‘distraction’ for Wenger

Despite recent reports claiming that Arsenal are looking to appoint a director of football, Wenger was far from happy about the idea when questioned about it during a press conference recently.

The boss said that as long as he’s at the club, there won’t be a director of football.

“No, director of football, I don’t know what it means,” Wenger said.

“Is it someone who stands on the road and directs the players left and right? I never understand what it means, director of football.”

He added, “I’m manager of Arsenal and as long as I am manager, I will decide what happens on the technical front. That’s it.”

Upson, who played under Wenger for three years, since he spent three of his six year spell as a Gunner out on loan, believes that having a director of football to challenge the Frenchman would be an unwelcome distraction.

The ex-defender also thinks that it would be almost impossible to appoint someone who’s truly on Wenger’s level in terms of experience and success.

“With everything that Arsene Wenger has succeeded with in his career, in the set-up that he has been used to, I’m not sure if he’d be able to work with a director of football, which he himself appears to have ruled out with his recent comments,” Upson told bwin.

“It’s understandably difficult to change and adapt to that. The person that they would have to bring in has to have the same level of power and experience as Arsene Wenger, so who are you going to choose to fill that role? Very few can match his experience or power in the game.

“A manager and a director of football may have moments where they have differences of opinion and Arsene has, for many years, enjoyed control without having anyone in that position. If you add the role now, Arsene Wenger may feel distracted by it and that could be bad from the get-go. If you’re going to have a director of football in place, I think perhaps it may be better to implement one, if and when the club appoint a new manager.

“David Dein had a fantastic relationship with Arsene Wenger and it is well documented that he dealt with all the transfer dealings between clubs – they both supported and respected each other because David was already a massive figure at the club and one who personally brought Arsene in. I wonder if Arsene Wenger feels if he can replicate that relationship with anyone else.”