Attacks on Wenger are unfair, says Iwobi
IT WAS a year ago this month that Nigeria winger Alex Iwobi announced himself at Arsenal. After a handful of cup and substitute appearances, the teenager took his place in the starting line-up against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
His progress since has been beyond his wildest dreams, underlined by a chance encounter at Barnet — where Nigeria played Senegal on Friday — with Josh Vickers.
His former Arsenal youth team-mate is on loan at Barnet from Swansea. Iwobi is a first-team regular at Arsenal and has made the Nigeria No 10 shirt his own.
‘It was nice to see him,’ says Iwobi. ‘But no-one would have predicted back then, even two years ago, that I’d be here, playing in the first team regularly with world-class players.’
That meteoric rise is due to hard work and considerable talent but he owes a lot to Arsene Wenger. ‘For a youngster, he’s a great manager to have. Some of the things I see are unfair on the man,’ adds Iwobi.
‘Twenty years at the club, and he’s done so much. Obviously the season’s not going quite as he wants but some of the things I see are a bit disrespectful.
‘He’s not a huge talker, but when he does talk to you he’s like a good friend. He’s almost like my dad talking to me. He has so much knowledge, and when he does speak to me, it’s just words of wisdom, telling me what I need to work on. Of course, if we’re not winning games we’re always going to be under pressure, at a great club like Arsenal you’re expected to win, to be title contenders.’
The criticism Wenger and indeed Iwobi have received here is in stark contrast to the way he is treated in Nigeria after he opted to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha.
‘The way they support football there, it’s just different to England. It’s something I’m not used to, but when you go there, it’s special. When you see all these guys just respecting you, they almost treat you as if you’re a king! They’re crazy about it!’
Helping him adjust is another promising Premier League talent, Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho.
‘We’re room-mates right now and he’s just the funniest guy I know. We do get on well off the pitch as well as on the pitch. Maybe I can try to convince Arsenal to sign him — but I don’t think that’s going to happen.’