Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that he ‘isn’t proud’ to be named by Mike Dean as the most intimidating manager he has ever dealt with.
Dean is retiring at the end of the season having spent 22 years as a top-flight referee. The 55-year-old is one of the most famous officials to ever grace the Premier League and has been involved in some of the most iconic moments in the history of the league – both good and bad.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Dean recalled some of the highlights of his career before labelling Wenger as the most intimidating coach due to how he always wanted the very best for his club. Told of the news on beIN Sport, the Frenchman laughed: “Is somebody behind me? Are you making jokes tonight?
“I’m not very proud of that.” Wenger spent 22 years with the Gunners and led them to three Premier League titles and won the FA Cup with them seven times, becoming one of the most successful managers in the history of the league.
Dean and Wenger shared some incredibly famous moments over the years, but none truly come close to topping when the latter was sent off against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The manager was then sent to the stands where he stood, arms aloft and a very puzzled expression on his face, questioning where he was even supposed to sit – much to the amusement of the Red Devils’ supporters seated around him.
Asked about the incident, Wenger said: “He still doesn’t know why. When I was standing in the middle of the stands.
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“I didn’t know where to go, nobody told me where I could go and when I went up they told me I had to go to the stands. When I arrived at the stands, of course, there were no free seats so I had a double problem – first of all, I didn’t know why I was sent off and nobody could ever explain to me because they apologised after that but, as well, I didn’t know where to go.”
In his interview, Dean was quick to say that all of Wenger’s actions on and off the pitch were in the best interest of Arsenal and that he always had the club in his thoughts. He explained: “I always found it tough, not refereeing Arsenal in general but refereeing Arsenal when he (Wenger) was the manager. It was just his presence – he wanted the best for Arsenal all the time and if he could get any way of getting one over you he would do.
“Since he has finished football I have seen him and he has been great. Cross the white line and everyone is different, like referees. We are normal people.” There has been plenty of change at the Emirates Stadium since Wenger departed and the club have certainly been spared of success, with now-manager Mikel Arteta only recently looking like he is capable of getting the North London outfit back to being title contenders.
