Arsène Who?: The Story of Wenger’s 1998 Double

An exhaustive look at Arsène Wenger’s revolutionary management of Arsenal F.C., which changed the face of English football, told through the anecdotes of those who played for him, worked with him, or competed against his teams.

Nobody had heard of Arsène Wenger when he took charge of Arsenal in October 1996. ’Arsène Who?’ was the headline. Yet within less than two full seasons, he transformed an underperforming side into league and FA Cup winners, in the process playing with breath-taking style, sparking an epoch-defining rivalry with Alex Ferguson and Manchester United and modernizing football in England with his ground-breaking methods.

Built around over 150 exclusive interviews with key players, coaches, staff and opponents, and rich in behind-the-scenes stories, personal accounts of triumph, tragedy, hilarity and heartbreak, Arsène Who? relives Arsenal’s rocky road to the 1998 Double and the inception of the Wenger revolution.

It is a portrait of a collection of troubled and ageing stars who bonded with foreign newcomers to achieve immortality. It is a snapshot of a shifting cultural and sporting landscape epitomised by the Gunners’ rise. And it is the tale of an unheralded mastermind who guided his team to new heights.

Arsène Who? is the inside story of how Wenger took Arsenal to the top of English football and changed the game forever.

Ryan Baldi is a professional sports writer, whose work has featured on BBC Sport, The Guardian, The Independent, World Soccer, and FourFourTwo. His most recent book, The Dream Factory: Inside the Make-or-Break World of Football’s Academies, was longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year.