PETIT GIVES PRAISE TO THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

EMMANUEL PETIT praised Arsene Wenger as a revolutionary who changed the face of English football.

Former Arsenal star Petit (above with Wenger), was a member of the 1998 Double-winning team. He said: “They need to look at his entire time there, everything he changed: the stadium, the training facilities, the way he changed not just Arsenal but the Premier League.

“His longevity is remarkable. To be 20 years at a team like Arsenal is incredible. What he has achieved with the club on and off the pitch is great. But it is time for him to go.”

Another ex-Gunner, Nigel Winterburn, said: “I’m not surprised he’s decided to call time on his career at Arsenal. There’s been a change in the last few home games, with the drop in the numbers of people in the crowd. I thought maybe he would leave it to the end of the season, but announcing it now, he’s saying, ‘My time as a manager is coming to an end, let’s focus on the football’. The club have two huge games in the Europa League semi-final. They can focus on that.”

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville tweeted about his old adversary: “Arsene Wenger built the best teams that I played against in English Football.

“The 98 team was Amazing. The biggest compliment is that he played football that made us change the way we played against them. He now deserves the most incredible send off from all in the coming weeks.”