Stan Collymore thinks that Arsène Wenger would have been successful at Manchester United, if he’d joined the club back in 2002.
Wenger was reportedly offered the chance to join the Red Devils a couple of years before the Arsenal ‘Invincibles’ season. He held a couple of meetings with the United hierarchy before eventually turning them down to stay with the Gunners, as he believed Arsenal better matched his values.
However, Collymore told the Daily Mirror that he thinks the 67-year-old could have been similarly successful at United if he’d made the move up North, reports the Express. He said: “The thought that Arsene Wenger might have succeeded Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in 2002 is an interesting one.
“And I believe he’d have been successful for five or six years because he’d have fallen into line with what the club are about. He’d have played fast-flowing, attractive football, he’d have brought in United’s version of the Invincibles and he’d have definitely brought through youngsters.”
Collymore went on to clarify that he doesn’t think Wenger is quite as ruthless as Ferguson, and should have made more of an effort to hire people who would challenge him. But it’s an interesting one to think about.
As good as Wenger was for Arsenal early on, the Gunners then needed him to manage the club financially as well as on the pitch, due to the stadium move. Managing a club that didn’t have this same need could have freed Wenger up to focus on success on the pitch.
Fortunately, the long-serving Frenchman didn’t leave and Arsenal got their title-win in 2003/04 without losing a single league game under the veteran coach.