This open letter first appeared in issue 258 of The Gooner
Dear Arsene,
Why does it have to end like this?
When you arrived in 1996, I will be honest and say I was a little unsure. But it only took a few weeks to convince me that there was something different about you. Just one glimpse of Patrick Vieira was enough to highlight your knack of spotting a player, and your knowledge of the French market saw you deliver players such as Petit, Anelka, Pires, and rescue Henry from his Italian nightmare. Within a couple of years you brought us the double, and you were probably just a penalty kick away from repeating the feat again in 1999.
