Arsene Wenger’s reign at Arsenal was a universal success, having led the Gunners to various trophies while transforming the whole of English football from dietary methods to play style upon his arrival at the club in October 1996.
The Frenchman took the north London side to new heights following a couple of years stagnating under Bruce Rioch and he would eventually win three Premier League titles and a record seven FA Cups during his 22-year tenure.
His proficiency in the transfer market, especially during his first decade in charge, proved to be very lucrative for the club in the long run, yet it was a player who his predecessor signed who would go on to become an integral part of Wenger’s success at the club – Patrick Vieira.
How big an impact did Patrick Vieira have at Arsenal?
Rioch signed the French midfielder in August 1996 from AC Milan for a fee reported to be £3.5m having shown great potential for the Serie A side, making five appearances before his 20th birthday, although it would be at Arsenal where he achieved his greatest success.
Under Wenger, he became one of the finest midfielders of his generation – having recently been inducted into the Premier League’s Hall of Fame – with his physical presence and combative nature allowing him to dominate the middle of the pitch, while he could count on Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp to provide the attacking spark.
He won two doubles in his first six seasons as Arsenal challenged Manchester United’s dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson and they were the two finest teams in the land, with matches between them often ferocious affairs with no love lost on or off the park or between the two managers – with glory on the line, both would do anything to gain an advantage.
The summit for Vieira and Wenger arrived in the 2003/2004 season, with the midfielder captaining the team to an unbeaten Premier League campaign and they were subsequently dubbed the ‘Invincibles’ in what was a moniker that still lives on.
A fourth FA Cup winners medal followed the next season as Vieira scored the decisive penalty in a shoutout win against old foes Man United, but when Juventus came calling that summer, it was a move simply too good to turn down.
The Gunners received a fee of £13.75m for their prized asset, which was a 291% increase on the fee they paid for him nine years earlier, proving the club certainly struck gold on the 6 foot 4 colossus.
His time at the club was extraordinary and current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta even praised Vieira as a “remarkable” player, with the fact he is still talked about as being one of the greats a testament to how well the north Londoners did to hold on to him for nearly a decade.
