Arsenal: Arsene Wenger And His Charm Offensive

Laurent Koscielny has stated that the squad is enamoured with Arsene Wenger. His management style is building towards Arsenal’s future success.

Arsene Wenger is an extremely honourable man. Whilst football is his living, breathing inspiration – there are stories in which he will come into training and ask if anyone saw a second tier Belgian game from the night before – and Arsenal is his baby, it is his management of his players that is especially peculiar, unique and revered.

Wenger does not see his players as tools. He does not plug them in and play them, simply seeing them as something to be utilised and exploited as a means to his team’s end. He sees them as men, treats them as people who are exceptionally gifted. It is a charm offensive and it is working.

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Laurent Koscielny, someone who was signed from the Lorient, a club floundering in the second division of French football, and at first hand enjoyed the personal and footballing development that Wenger imparts on his players, heralded his manager’s approach to his squad, both in his training methods and his man-management:

"“You may say that we haven’t won the title for a long time, but he has not just built players, he’s built men too. Every player who has played for Arsenal has grown here and has become a man. It’s a big number [of players]. For me and the others, it’s a good opportunity to be with him and learn from him. He’s passionate about football. Along with a lot of people, he’s helped this club grow with a new stadium, a new training ground, and he built the platform for us to compete for the Premier League and Champions League every year.”"

Wenger is extremely popular with his players. He is relatable and transparent with them. He is honest and upfront. It is, from an external perspective, difficult to ever understand a manager’s nuances, the ways in which he works, his preferences and his priorities. With Wenger, though, while his training techniques are still shrouded – as they should be – his man-management is not.

Regularly, established members of the squad publicly reveal their own respect for Wenger and their teammates’ enjoyment in working under him. It was only Tuesday this week that Giroud pleaded for Wenger continue in his role primarily due to the relationship that he and many of the squad had with the French manager. Mesut Ozil stated that Wenger was an important influence on his signing with Arsenal.

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Wenger, then, is a well-liked figure. He is astute, intelligent and insightful. But more than that, he is emotionally present and influential. He is meticulous in his management in every sense of the word; not just in his tactics or his training, but also in his relationships. Ultimately, he is charming and it leaves Arsenal with a promising and prosperous future.

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