Ferguson and Mourinho lead tributes to ‘great’ managerial adversary
Arsene Wenger’s rivals united last night to celebrate “one of the greatest Premier League managers” after it was revealed he would quit Arsenal at the end of the season.
The end of Wenger’s 22-year reign in north London drew heartfelt tributes from some of his most renowned adversaries, from Jose Mourinho to Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola to Antonio Conte.
Ferguson’s words were particularly poignant, given how fiercely the former Manchester United manager sparred with Wenger after his arrival at Arsenal in 1996.
The pair clashed repeatedly as their sides contended for league titles and domestic and European trophies, but Ferguson feels his decision to quit now will ensure he will receive the farewell his record deserves.
“I am really happy for Arsene Wenger,” Ferguson said. “I have great respect for him and for the job he has done at Arsenal. It is great testament to his talent, professionalism and determination that he has been able to dedicate 22 years of his life to a job that he loves.
“In an era where football managers sometimes only last one or two seasons, it shows what an achievement it is to serve that length of time at a club the size of Arsenal.
“I am pleased that he has announced he is leaving at this stage of the season, as he can now have the send-off that he truly deserves.
“He is, without doubt, one of the greatest Premier League managers and I am proud to have been a rival, a colleague and a friend to such a great man.”
Mourinho, one of Ferguson’s successors at Old Trafford, also set aside his past acrimony with Wenger, insisting that for all the public rancour – which included calling him a “specialist in failure” and also “a voyeur” – his respect for the Frenchman never wavered.
“If he’s happy I’m happy, if he’s sad, I’m sad, I always wish the best for my opponents,” Mourinho said. “If he’s happy with the decision he makes and looks forward to the next chapter of his career and his life I’m really happy for him.
“If he’s sad, I’m sad. I’m pretty sure as a club – and especially because Mr Wenger and Arsenal were for many, many years the biggest rivals of Sir Alex [Ferguson’s] era – we will show Mr Wenger the respect he deserves.” Asked whether he regretted many of his spats with Wenger, he replied: “It’s not about regretting. Of course, you don’t know the way we respect each other even when sometimes it doesn’t look like we do. “The managers that respect each other more are the ones with the problems. It’s power against power; ambition against ambition; quality against quality. But in the end it’s people from the same business who respect one another’s careers.
“So it happened. What matters for me is the way I respect the person, the professional, the career. I always say that for some the memories are short, but for us football people don’t have short memories. “I know what it means, three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups, what he did in Japan and France, what he brought to French football, what he gave to Arsenal in the period without Premier Leagues, the transition from stadium to stadium, we know what he did. If he’s happy with the decision, I’m really happy and I hope he doesn’t retire from football.”
David Moyes, who was badly burned by his experience of taking over Manchester United after Ferguson in 2013, believes Arsenal face a formidable task in replacing him this summer.
“It’s never easy when you follow great managers at great clubs. It’ll be tough for whoever takes the job,” he said.
“He’s been one of the best managers that the Premier League has seen.” Guardiola, for his part, does not believe there will be another manager like Wenger as he feels it has become impossible for anyone to stay at one club for so long without losing their job. “He has all my respect for what he has done,” said Guardiola. “The Premier League is about huge personalities like Arsene, it is because of what he has done, his vision. “I hope he can be involved in world football in a different way with his experience. Whether it is with Arsenal, Uefa, Fifa, or somewhere else, I don’t know. “It will be difficult for anyone to do what he has done at a top European club again.
“It is so, so complicated. With the way social media is now, everybody has an opinion and can express it, you feel the pressure as a manager.
“You can also feel pressure because staying in the Premier League is so important, then you have the sporting directors, who do not have a lot of patience.”
I am proud to have been a rival, a colleague and a friend to such a great man Sir Alex Ferguson