Wenger would rather be sacked than splash millions, says Dixon
HE WON nine major titles at Arsenal and spent six years under the wing of Arsene Wenger, so when it comes to explaining what’s wrong with the Gunners and their French boss, Lee Dixon is better qualified than most.
The England defender-turned-TV-pundit is adamant Wenger should stay in charge, despite murmurings of discontent on the rarefied terraces of Emirates Stadium following a sixth consecutive barren season.
But he warns not to expect a volte-face from a manager known as much for his parsimony as his commitment to flowing football, insisting Wenger would rather be marched out of his office than embark on the orgy of spending some supporters crave.
“He won’t spend £50m on one player because he doesn’t believe that’s the way to run a football club. If he eventually loses his job because of that, he would not change that – that’s the way he runs the dressing room,” Dixon (below) told City PM
“That might be his downfall in the end – but he will go down with his own philosophy. You’ve got to be very careful what you wish for, and to sack Arsene Wenger is completely the wrong thing to do.”
Dixon believes Arsenal’s players are to blame for their fallow spell, and expects Denilson, Nicklas Bendtner, Andrey Arshavin, and Gael Clichy to be sold during the close season.
He puts their frailty down to an absence of authoritative individuals – “there’s no group of players who the young ones look up to” – and a flawed mentality. While he rates centre-backs Thomas Vermaelen and Johan Djourou, and to a lesser extent Laurent Koscielny, he adds: “Not one of them has got the mentality to attack the ball.”
Dixon, 47, is now putting his time – and injecting cash – into pushing innovative new online video game I Am Playr, which puts you in the boots of an aspiring star facing dilemmas on and off the pitch. He says: “It’s a really clever concept and that’s what triggered my involvement both financially and in terms of input.”
Lee Dixon is brand ambassador and an investor in the first ever point of view (POV) football game I AM PLAYR (www.iamplayr.com) from games developers We R Interactive
ARSENAL | NO CASE FOR THE DEFENCE
CHAMPIONS DEFENCE: LAST FIVE YEARS
2010/11: Goals conceded 37
2009/10: Goals conceded 32
2008/09: Goals conceded 23
2007/08: Goals conceded 22
2006/07: Goals conceded 27
ARSENAL DEFENCE: LAST FIVE YEARS
2010/11: Goals conceded 43
2009/10: Goals conceded 41
2008/09: Goals conceded 37
2007/08: Goals conceded 31
2006/07: Goals conceded 35