“He Didn’t Like Him, Probably” – Ex-Arsenal Man Slams Souness After Bizarre Wenger Rant

By The Editor
on 17th October 2024

Jeremie Aliadiere comes to Wenger’s defence…

Ex-Arsenal striker Jeremie Aliadiere slammed Graeme Souness after the former Newcastle United boss stated he doesn’t view Arsene Wenger as a “football man”, talkSPORT reports.

Aliadiere, speaking on the Inside Gooners show, claimed that Souness was likely seeking headlines with those statements given how outrageous they were.

Souness also went on to cry about Wenger never meeting him in his office after a game for a chinwag and Aliadiere had a simple explanation for why that never happened.

The Scotsman faced Wenger for six consecutive seasons during his stints at Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle, with Souness only getting the better of him on four occasions.

Aliadiere believes the two managers had nothing in common, but he revealed that he had witnessed other managers being invited into Wenger’s office after a game.

“He’s dedicated his life to football and is still doing it now,” the Gunners ‘Invincible’ said in defence of his former boss.

“To say something like this is pretty shocking to me. It actually makes me feel he said that just for a reaction – just to be in the press.

“Arsene Wenger changed football in this country.”

When pressed on why he felt Wenger never had a drink with Souness after a game, the Frenchman gave a straightforward response: “Because he didn’t like him, probably.

“They had nothing in common, didn’t see football the same way. I’ve been to see Wenger in his office a few years ago after a game and Sam Allardyce was there with his assistants.”

Aliadiere name-checking Allardyce was interesting given that he’s viewed as the antithesis of Wenger in terms of their footballing philosophies.

The former Bolton boss also created a team that was, for some time, a bogey side for Wenger and took the game to areas we struggled in. Despite that, the two clearly remained cordial off the pitch.

Must be just you, Souness…