Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has cautioned Mikel Arteta about his handling of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, emphasizing that rotating goalkeepers can lead to problems down the line.

Ramsdale played a significant role in Arsenal’s performance last season but has been benched this year in favor of summer signing David Raya, who arrived on loan from Brentford with a potential permanent transfer in the future.

Wenger’s warning highlights the potential challenges that can arise from frequent changes in goalkeeping choices, which can affect the stability and confidence of both goalkeepers. Maintaining a clear and consistent goalkeeping hierarchy is a key aspect of managing a successful football team.

“I don’t believe in rotating goalkeepers, it’s a lack of clarity of the hierarchy,” he told beIN Sports.

“That doesn’t work unless the hierarchy exists until you say ‘look it’s two or three bad performances and now it’s a change and I give a chance to the other one’. The hierarchy has to be clear.

“On the other hand, when you’re in this position, it happened to me many times, you have a good team and you want to improve it. You look and think ‘what can I improve?’ Maybe the distribution from the back.

“It happened to me with the centre-backs, you want the guy who has better distribution from the back. And then you realise he is less good defensively and his first job is to defend.”

Asked which goalkeeper he would choose for his team, Wenger declined to make a decision but offered his support to Ramsdale.

“Personally I like Ramsdale,” he said. “If I was in his position, I would not give up because I believe he has a chance to come back into the team.

“[Is Ramsdale] better? I don’t know. I just think Ramsdale has made decisive saves in the games last season. They were not happy maybe with his feet.”

Though he has kept five of a possible nine clean sheets, Raya’s tenure as Arsenal’s starting goalkeeper has been uneventful. In some games, he has failed to inspire trust.

We are aware that Ramsdale is content to battle for his future at the Emirates for the time being, but with Chelsea and other teams keeping an eye on things, he could have to reevaluate his options at the conclusion of the year.

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Outside of their Emirates Stadium, Arsenal unveiled a statue of their illustrious former manager Arsene Wenger.

Between 1996 and 2018, the Frenchman led the North London team to three Premier League titles, including an undefeated regular season, seven FA Cup victories, and two decades of Champions League competition.

Wenger was a trailblazing figure in English football, not just at Arsenal, and his understanding of sports science was crucial to the development of the Premier League. He established the club at the pinnacle of English and European football during his 1,235 games in the Arsenal dugout.

In 1998, 2002, and 2004 (the latter year during an incredible 38-match league unbeaten run), Wenger led the Gunners to the Premier League championship. Additionally, they were victorious seven times in the FA Cup, in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015, and 2017.

In 1998, 2002, and 2004 (the latter year during an incredible 38-match league unbeaten run), Wenger led the Gunners to the Premier League championship. They also won the FA Cup on seven occasions, in 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2014, 2015 and 2017.

Forever Arsène. Forever Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/gdzJfEhhq7

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 28, 2023

The Frenchman, who joined Arsenal after a stint at Nagoya Grampus Eight in Japan, supervised the club’s metamorphosis not just on the field but off it as well, guiding them as they left their longtime Highbury home for their new home at the Emirates.

“It’s such a great tribute that the club has done something special for Arsène that he fully deserves and merits,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told Arsenal club media. “With a statue now at the stadium, Arsène can have that recognition and be here at our club forever.

“I’m so grateful to have played for Arsène at this club in my career. He chose me to be one of his players and selected me to be the captain of the club and that’s something I will never forget.”

Arsenal’s Executive Vice Chair Tim Lewis has said: “We’re delighted to recognise and celebrate Arsène Wenger’s outstanding leadership and career at Arsenal Football Club. Arsène’s contribution to, and achievements with, the club mark him out as the club’s greatest manager. He treated the club and its supporters to many trophies and fantastic memories and brought a revolution in the running of the club, an unbeaten season and the move to Emirates Stadium.

“It is fitting, therefore, that as a mark of the club’s enduring respect and gratitude a magnificent statue of Arsène now stands outside Emirates Stadium. It is a place where our supporters and all who visit Emirates Stadium can be reminded of Arsène’s contribution and his legacy.”

Pioneer. Visionary. Invincible.

We have today unveiled a statue of Arsène Wenger outside Emirates Stadium to celebrate his incredible impact at the club ❤️

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) July 28, 2023

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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been awarded the Premier League Manager of the Season for 2022/23.

The Spaniard has now bagged the award on four occasions having previously triumphed in 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2020/21.

Man City is poised to win the triple as Guardiola led them to their third straight Premier League crown. The FA Cup final is on Saturday against Manchester United, and the Champions League final is the following Saturday against Inter.

Man City spent much of the season trailing Arsenal, with the Gunners spending 248 days top of the table – a Premier League record for a team that did not go on to win the title.

Before settling on a 3-2-4-1 system under the guidance of record-breaking scorer Erling Haaland, the Citizens spent a significant amount of the first half of the season experimenting and switching up their tactics.

Only one manager, Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United, has won this accolade more frequently than Guardiola, with 11 wins to Guardiola’s one.

Since the award’s establishment in 1992, only three other managers have won it more than once: Jurgen Klopp has won it twice, Arsene Wenger has won it three times, and Jose Mourinho has done so twice.

🥁 Introducing your @BarclaysFooty Manager of the Season…

✨ Pep Guardiola ✨#PLAwards | @PepTeam pic.twitter.com/J4PQIAfvuE

— Premier League (@premierleague) May 30, 2023

• Previous 10 winners of the Premier League Manager of the Season award

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The Premier League has announced a 15-player shortlist of nominees for the Hall of Fame class of 2023.

Three of the players who were shortlisted will join 16 other players who have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame, according to the Premier League, which earlier this week announced that Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger had become the first managers to be inducted.

Arsenal legends Tony Adams and Sol Campbell, Manchester United legends Andy Cole, Gary Neville, and Rio Ferdinand, former Chelsea and England captain John Terry, and one of Manchester City’s most admired players, Yaya Toure, are among the contenders for the 2023 Hall of Fame class.

Fans can vote for the three players – who are only eligible if they retired before the start of the year – they want to enter the Hall of Fame, with the winning players set to be announced on Wednesday 3rd May.

Who are the 15 players shortlisted for 2023?

• Tony Adams
• Ashley Cole
• Gary Neville
• Sol Campbell
• Jermain Defoe
• Michael Owen
• Michael Carrick
• Les Ferdinand
• John Terry
• Petr Cech
• Rio Ferdinand
• Yaya Toure
• Andy Cole
• Robbie Fowler
• Nemanja Vidic

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Introducing your 2023 #PLHallOfFame nominees 📣

Vote for your 3️⃣: https://t.co/cVUsRGi8Vs pic.twitter.com/DHYhP3Uhnw

— Premier League (@premierleague) March 30, 2023

The Premier League Hall of Fame was established in 2021, and eight players were inducted that year, followed by the induction of eight more players the following year.

Class of 2021

• Alan Shearer
• Thierry Henry
• Eric Cantona
• Roy Keane
• Frank Lampard
• Dennis Bergkamp
• Steven Gerrard
• David Beckham

Class of 2022

• Wayne Rooney
• Patrick Vieira
• Sergio Aguero
• Didier Drogba
• Vincent Kompany
• Peter Schmeichel
• Paul Scholes
• Ian Wright

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The Premier League Hall of Fame has officially honoured Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger as its inaugural managers.

The duo won 16 Premier League titles between them across respective long-term spells with Manchester United and Arsenal.

Ferguson is the most accomplished manager in the competition’s history with 13 of their championships. He is the first manager to have achieved the Premier League’s Triple Title on two separate occasions.

Ferguson said: “I’m truly delighted to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. It’s an honour when you receive recognition like this. However, it’s not just about me as a person. It’s about the job at Manchester United and the bond we had over many years, so I’m also proud for the club, the staff and my players.

“My job was to send the fans home happy. United’s history and my own expectations were the things that drove me, and I then had to try and develop all my players with the same expectations and make sure we could go out and achieve them.

“I feel Arsene is a very worthy inductee as he transformed Arsenal Football Club fantastically. They became a tough team to compete with and we both wanted to win, which motivated us further. Through the years since retirement, we’d go for dinner together in a little restaurant he knows well in Switzerland. He is a really interesting man and I enjoy his company, but it is still my job to pick the wine!”

👑 The greatest.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been inducted in the @PremierLeague Hall of Fame 👏#MUFC || #PL

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 29, 2023

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Wenger arrived in England as one of the Premier League’s first foreign coaches in 1996, swiftly proving sceptics wrong by converting Arsenal into title winners and influencing the culture of English football with his scouting and culinary skills.

At Arsenal, he won three Premier League titles, including an unbeaten ‘Invincibles season in 2003/04.

Wenger said: “I am very grateful to have been selected for the Premier League Hall of Fame. We always wanted to give something special to the fans and when you have players capable of remarkable things, the most important thing for me is the obligation of perfection.

“I’d like to be known as someone who loved Arsenal, who respected the values of the club and left it in a position where it can grow and become even bigger.

“To share this with Sir Alex is a great honour for me. It’s like two boxers, you fight like mad and go the distance together. At the end of the day, you have respect and it will be a great opportunity to meet with him, share a good bottle of wine and memories of our old battles.”

🥁 Our latest inductee to the Premier League Hall of Fame…

It’s a special entry, Gooners 🙌

🏆 One gold trophy
❤️ One Arsene Wenger pic.twitter.com/iNsBbe1A9t

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 29, 2023

In addition to Ferguson and Wenger, there are 16 other inductees in the Premier League Hall of Fame.

When the Hall of Fame was established in 2021, Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry were the first two individuals to be inducted. During that year, they were followed by David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Dennis Bergkamp, and Steven Gerrard.

Inductees for 2022 were Ian Wright, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, Didier Drogba, Vincent Kompany, Patrick Vieira, and Sergio Aguero.

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According to reports, Arsenal Football Club plans to build a statue of legendary manager Arsene Wenger outside the Emirates Stadium

Wenger spent 22 years in charge of Arsenal between 1996 and 2018 and despite leaving in controversial circumstances – which he later described as ‘unjustified’ and ‘very brutal’ – he is still considered one of the best managers of all time.

In a hugely successful spell for the north London club, he led Arsenal to three Premier League titles, culminating in 2003-04 when they finished the top-flight season unbeaten. He also guided the team to seven FA Cup victories.

The Frenchman, who is currently the FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, revolutionized English football’s scouting, training, and diet while serving as the Gunners’ longest-tenured manager in club history.

He never wavered in his loyalty to Arsenal, turning off bids from Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and England while playing for the club. Since leaving the Gunners, he has also turned down two Premier League offers.

His legacy, however, took a hit toward the end of his reign as the club’s fans and board drove him out after the fans became weary of settling for Premier League fourth-place finishes.

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Wenger departed Arsenal in 2018 after overseeing 1,235 games. Because of the circumstances of his departure and the hurt he felt, he did not return to the club until this week, more than four years later.

One Arsène Wenger ❤️ pic.twitter.com/agQln82HFC

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 26, 2022

But current boss Mikel Arteta, one of Wenger’s former captains, was keen for the 73-year-old to return and he was given a joyous reception by Arsenal fans during the 3-1 victory over West Ham on Boxing Day.

Following the victory, Wenger was also seen returning to the home dressing room with Arsenal players. Now, according to The Telegraph, the team is preparing to erect a statue honouring him in front of the Emirates to recognize his achievements.

Outside the club’s stadium, Arsenal already has statues of former players Thierry Henry, Tony Adams, and Dennis Bergkamp, as well as former manager Herbert Chapman, and Wenger was reportedly opposed to the idea of adding himself.

But Wenger appears to have had a change of heart after his recent return to the Emirates and has now given the green light for the statue to be built, which could be erected as early as 2023.

‘I’ve been involved in the process but it’s about him, the timing he needed,’ Arteta said about Wenger’s return to Arsenal after more than four years.

‘Hopefully he’s going to leave here and be willing to spend more time with us because he is such an influence: for me personally, in my career, the way I see the game, but as well for this football club.’

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Arsenal extended their Premier League lead with a thrilling 3-1 triumph over West Ham United at the Emirates on Monday night.

For the first time since leaving the club in 2018 after 22 years as manager of the Gunners, Arsene Wenger watched from the stands in north London as table-topping Arsenal increased their lead to 40 points after 15 games this year.

Arsenal maintained a seven-point lead over Newcastle United in second place after goals from Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Eddie Nketiah in the second half offset a penalty by Said Benrahma in the first.

After William Saliba fouled Jarrod Bowen in the box, West Ham’s Benrahma converted the penalty kick to score the game’s opening goal. Arsenal had looked energetic in the opening 20 minutes.

Mikel Arteta’s side spent much of the remainder of the first half in West Ham’s defensive third — showing off plenty of tidy one-touch passing — but could not find an equaliser and went into the break trailing 1-0.

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Before the hour mark, Martin Odegaard’s mishit drive was settled by Saka and rolled past Lukasz Fabianski, giving Arsenal the lead. Martinelli then scored for his club with a tight-angled shot into the near post.

With 20 minutes remaining, Nketiah scored Arsenal’s third goal to conclude a great team effort. He did so by deftly turning to his left after Odegaard found him in the area and striking the back of the net at Fabianski’s far post.

Arsenal were playing their first match since the season paused for the World Cup and their first since key striker Gabriel Jesus was ruled out of action for three months with a knee injury while playing for Brazil in Qatar.

When Arsenal found themselves behind at halftime, any worries that the injury may hinder their quest for their first title since 2004 would have increased, but a superb performance in the second half allayed such worries.

In the first half, West Ham, who have not won on the road in the league since August, had done well to keep Mikel Arteta’s team out of the penalty area, but their defence crumbled once Arsenal, helped by some excellent service from Odegaard, regained their rhythm after the interval.

Next up for Arsenal, who kept their perfect home record this season, is a trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on New Year’s Eve, while David Moyes’ West Ham will host Brentford on December 30.

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The FIFA president, Gianni Infantino, has proposed hosting the World Cup every three years, in his latest plan to shake up international football.

FIFA have already failed in their attempt to play the World Cup every two years, a change championed by Arsene Wenger, with European and South American organisations UEFA and CONMEBOL voting it down.

They might also wish to stop Infantino’s fresh suggestion because, according to the Daily Mail, he intends to implement the three-year program within the next ten years.

According to reports, Asia and Africa are in favour of the new plan, but Infantino will need help from Europe and South America to get it approved.

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After the Qatar World Cup’s tremendous commercial success, the Italian who is in charge of FIFA is full of confidence in his ability to bring about change.

The event generated a record £6.2 billion in revenue, outpacing Russia’s 2018 earnings by £840 million.

Infantino also thinks that moving the tournament to the winter in Europe won’t be a one-off, and he intends to restructure the schedule following the 2030 World Cup.

Infantino has already been the head of FIFA since 2016, but it was recently decided that he is still in his first term, set to begin a second term in March, which could allow him to stay in charge until 2031 if he completes the maximum three terms in the role.

On Saturday he said: ‘The clarification with regards to my term of office. So currently I am in my first term of office and on March 16 when there is the election for the FIFA president in Kigali in Rwanda, my second term of office as FIFA president will start. There is a limit of three terms.’

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While ideas to hold the World Cup every two years appear to have been discarded, Arsene Wenger feels the Qatar World Cup has demonstrated that the event can be successfully hosted in the winter.

When it was announced in 2015 that the competition would move from its customary summer schedule to the winter, there was a backlash. FIFA felt, however, that due to the heat, it was unsafe to hold matches in Qatar during the summer.

The move may have caused domestic European leagues some scheduling issues, but the tournament hasn’t suffered as a result; FIFA president Gianni Infantino even dubbed the group stage the “greatest ever.”

Wenger, the former manager of Arsenal and current head of FIFA’s global football development, has now hinted that there might be additional winter World Cups in the future, particularly if the competition returns to Africa.

‘If we want to democratise football, we will have to go to African countries where it is impossible to play a World Cup in the summer,’ the Frenchman told L’Equipe.

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‘We can see it with this edition in Qatar, a World Cup in the winter works.

‘Of course, many players did not have the usual time to prepare physically but at least they all approached this competition with real mental freshness, which has not always been the case in the past.

‘I remember teams starting a World Cup psychologically tired because their preparation period had gone badly.’

Last year, Wenger backed plans to stage the World Cup every two years as part of a total revamp of the international calendar, though he has now backtracked on that suggestion and says a biennial tournament is no longer on FIFA’s agenda.

‘I had been asked to think about it and I thought it was not a bad idea,’ he continued.

‘But such a change would have required a complete review of the qualifying calendar.

‘We are not heading towards that today, but rather towards four-year cycles alternating with a World Cup, the Women’s World Cup – which is becoming more and more important – and the Euros.’

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Kolo Toure has been appointed the next manager of Wigan on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

The 41-year-old Ivorian, who has been serving as Leicester’s first-team coach since February 2019, held negotiations with the Championship team earlier this month and has already finalized his move to the DW Stadium.

Although Toure played for Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City throughout his playing career and worked with coaches like Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp, and Roberto Mancini, he has no previous managerial experience.

Ashvir Johal and Kevin Betsy will join the 118-cap Ivory Coast international at Wigan, and Rob Kelly will serve as his assistant.  James Beattie has left the club.

Now that his new teammates are in Turkey for a midseason training camp, Toure will follow them there. On Saturday, December 10, they will resume their Championship campaign against Millwall.

Wigan has been looking for a new manager ever since they fired Leam Richardson on November 10—just two weeks after giving him a new three-year contract—following an eight-game losing streak.

After selecting Toure as his successor, Wigan’s chief executive said: “We are delighted that Kolo has become the new manager of Wigan Athletic and the board are pleased that he is the man to take us forward.

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“We received a high calibre of applicants for the manager’s job in recent weeks in a very thorough recruitment process as we looked to appoint the right person for the role.

“From the earliest of conversations we had with Kolo it was evident to us that he had instantly bought into the values of the club, with his enthusiasm, knowledge and immense desire to work and be part of Wigan Athletic shining throughout the process.

“There is no doubt that this appointment is an exciting one for the football club. Kolo is a manager who wants to play a positive brand of football and will strive every day to make the club stronger.

“The work starts immediately with the first-team squad as the season is just a couple of weeks away from restarting.

“As a board of directors, we look forward to working closely with Kolo and his team as the work begins collectively to establish Wigan Athletic as a Championship club.

“I am sure that all Latics supporters will get behind the appointment of Kolo Toure, give their backing to the staff and the players, as the football club begins a new, exciting era.”

Despite being third-from-last in the Championship, Wigan is only in danger of being relegated because of goal differential.

✍🏼 We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Kolo Touré as the Club's new First Team Manager!

Welcome to Wigan, Kolo 💙#wafc 🔵⚪️ #BELIEVE

— Wigan Athletic (@LaticsOfficial) November 29, 2022

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Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has publicly omitted Brazil and Argentina from his list of favourites to win the 2022 World Cup in favour of France.

On Tuesday night, the defending World Cup champions face Australia to open their campaign. Didier Deschamps‘ team will also face Tunisia and Denmark in Group D.

Ahead of the competition, France will be absent a number of important players, including Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante, Presnel Kimpembe, and Christopher Nkunku.

Wenger, though, thinks that France’s pre-World Cup failures might work in Deschamps‘ favour in Qatar.

When asked to name his pick to win the World Cup, Wenger told Wettbasis: ‘My number-one favourite is France. Not because I’m French by birth but because this Equipe Tricolore has the best attack.

‘If Didier Deschamps manages to ensure the necessary stability on the defensive, then the reigning world champion will have a good chance of successfully defending his title.

‘When you’re the reigning world champion, the biggest danger is not having any worries.

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The teams that take it easy and aren’t focused enough on their task almost always get a nasty surprise and don’t stay in the race for long.

‘To be honest, I even consider it good news that the French national team has work to do. As a result, she had to renew a few things and I am now firmly assuming that this can only have a positive effect on the performance in Doha, because Didier Deschamps’ team will be even more focused as a result.’

Wenger also believes Brazil, Argentina, England and Spain as France’s closest challengers.

‘In the past 12-15 months, the Brazilian national team has made the best impression,’ said Wenger.

‘A very experienced side with a leader like Neymar who has been in fantastic shape for the last six months.

‘Argentina will certainly also be a factor to be reckoned with. Lionel Messi will do everything to break this curse and finally become world champion.

‘England definitely has the potential to go far. Gareth Southgate’s team has always finished in the last four in previous tournaments. This is certainly no coincidence.WithJude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and so on, England have plenty of young talent in their ranks.

‘I also see Spain, which should never be written off, because technically there is enormous potential in this team, especially with the defensive midfield duo of Pedri and Gavi.’

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In his harsh critique of Manchester United’s first-half performance in their lopsided 6-3 loss to Manchester City on Sunday, Arsene Wenger singled out two players in particular.

Despite the fact that the visitors also scored three goals, United conceded four goals in the first half before Phil Foden and Erling Haaland each completed their hat tricks.

Wenger believed the game was won on the flanks and criticized Antony and Jadon Sancho for not doing more to support their full-backs, frequently leaving them exposed. City was well-deserving of its lead at the half.

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The former Arsenal manager said on beIN Sports,: ‘

What is for me unbelievable in the first half is that Man United has defended so badly on the flanks,’

‘From the first minute on Diogo Dalot got a yellow card and Sancho and Antony did not contribute defensively. ‘They were, in the whole half, flooded on the flanks and they were always in trouble. After that, when they had the ball, I felt they were obsessed by respecting too much the game plan.

‘They wanted always to go too quickly forward and lost so many balls and didn’t have enough possession. ‘They didn’t play for possession, they wanted just to get on the counter-attack.’

However, Wenger was keen to point out that Raphael Varane – United’s tallest defender – was not on the pitch when Haaland scored City’s second goal, which opened the floodgates.

The France international picked up an injury after appearing to twist his ankle and was not allowed back on the pitch before the home team took their corner, leaving Christian Eriksen trying to mark Haaland.

Wenger explained: 

‘The only positive circumstance I must give them is that they conceded the second goal when Varane was [off the pitch]. And when I saw that Eriksen was marking Haaland you worried for man United.’

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