Arsene Wenger issued the perfect response to a journalist looking to stir up trouble between the Arsenal manager and rivals Chelsea.
Wenger’s rivalry with former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is well-documented, but a sports journalist looked to get a rise out of the Frenchman regarding the club’s current manager, Guus Hiddink, and failed miserably.
In a press conference ahead of Arsenal’s clash with Chelsea on Sunday, a journalist asked Wenger if he believed Chelsea would be “specialists in failure” if they found themselves in a relegation battle, to which Wenger eloquently replied: “I see where you want to take me, but I’m not ready to travel.”
With Wenger and Mourinho frequently locking horns during the latter’s Premier League tenure, Wenger wanted to distance himself from any perceived conflict with Arsenal’s London rivals in the press conference, instead focusing upon issues pertaining to his own club. When questioned over any potential transfers Arsenal might make, Wenger replied: “At the moment I expect our last ten days to be quiet”, indicating that he isn’t looking to make any new signings, but adding that the club is “obviously always open to the exceptional occasion.” Arsenal have made one new signing during this transfer window, securing Mohamed Elneny from Basel in £7 million deal.
Depending upon the results of this weekend’s matches, Arsenal could either remain atop the Premier League or drop to second place, with them currently sharing the name number of points with Leicester. Leicester face tough opposition against Stoke, who have been in good form recently, while Chelsea continue to struggle at the bottom of the table.
