Ben Guest
Manuel Pellegrini thinks that Arsenal could suffer a long-term slump following the departure of Arsene Wenger this summer.
Arsenal have started the Premier League campaign with a new manager for the first time in 22 years after the Frenchman finally decided to call time on his tenure at the Emirates.
However, despite many fans being happy at Wenger’s departure, the start to the Unai Emery era hasn’t exactly got off to the greatest of starts, losing their first two games of the season.
West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has however warned Gunners fans that it could take a prolonged period of time to finally rid the Emirates of Arsene Wenger’s influence, citing Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure from Manchester United as an example:
“My opinion is that you can see what happened at Manchester United after Alex Ferguson finished,” Pellegrini said in his pre-match press conference.
“They were so used to winning titles and when you make a change it is not easy. At Arsenal it is the same.
“Maybe Arsene Wenger was criticised over the last three seasons because they did not challenge for the title until the end of the season, but to change the team and change the image is not easy.”
Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United as Premier League champions in 2013, but have since failed to challenge for the league title with David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho all having taken the reigns at Old Trafford.