Wenger too scared to axe Gallas over the summer

Arsene Wenger wanted to take the Arsenal captaincy from William Gallas before the season even began – but he didn’t have the bottle.

Arsene Wenger didn t have the bottle Arsene Wenger didn’t have the bottle

Former Highbury defender Lee Dixon has revealed that the Gunners boss told him he was scared of humiliating Gallas in the summer for two reasons.[>

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First, Wenger feared the temperamental defender would flip his lid and demand a move if he was deposed as skipper.[>

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And there were no other obvious leaders in the Arsenal squad. [>

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Dixon, one of Wenger’s 1998 Double winners, said: “It was an awkward subject to approach but I pulled Arsene (aside) at the training ground because I wanted to talk about the captaincy.[>

It was an awkward subject to approach

Lee Dixon

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“I thought there might have been a change and had been critical of Gallas as a captain and a leader.[>

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“Basically, Arsene said that Gallas is a great defender but is also one of those players who could have been affected if the captaincy was taken off him, and Arsene thought he might have lost him.[>

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“I said that if he is going to sulk or not do his job on the pitch just because you have taken something away, then surely he is not the man for the job.[>

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“But Arsene said that the position of the club at that time – the start of the season – meant that there wasn’t a natural replacement. [>

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“And that’s why they were going with Gallas and had to get on with it.”[>

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But all that did was to allow rifts already inside the dressing room to fester.[>

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And they exploded last Thursday, when Gallas claimed he had to break up a fight between Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott at half-time against Spurs last month, then rowed with one of his team-mates during the defeat at Stoke three days later.[>

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Which is why Dixon’s revelations will be of massive concern to the Gunners fans, who have always shown unwavering loyalty and belief in Wenger’s management.[>

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And they will only add to the growing feeling that maybe the most successful manager in the club’s history is no longer making all the right calls.[>

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Wenger has upset many fans by ignoring demands to bring in more established names to bolster his young squad.[>

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