Former PL star draws battle lines with Liverpool legend over Jurgen Klopp ‘disrespect’

Former Arsenal player Jack Wilshere defends Arsene Wenger against Jamie Carragher for picking Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp over him

Jack Wilshere considered the choice of Jamie Carragher to pick Liverpool legend Jurgen Klopp over Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger, “biased”. Carragher put Klopp behind Pep Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson in the top-five managers of the Premier League era list.

The former Liverpool defender first put Jose Mourinho over Klopp but changed his view later while giving strong reasons. Wilshere’s accusation of Liverpool bias and implying that Carragher disrespected Wenger is completely off the mark.

Football fans around the world respect Wenger’s legacy, even though Arsenal fans booed him in his later years. Wenger won the Premier League three times and the FA Cup seven times during his tenure with the London club.

The Frenchman stayed with Arsenal against his will when the club relocated to the Emirates Stadium in 2006. Arsenal faced a nine-year trophy drought within Wenger’s reign as they prioritized the club’s finances, failing to compete with rivals.

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Carragher provided his top-five manager of the Premier League era alongside his reasonings. He said:

‘I would put him [Jurgen Klopp] above Wenger, with the only reason being the Champions League.’

Wilshere used his X account to fire back at Carragher but failed to provide good reasons to back his opinion. He wrote:

“Klopp unbelievable how he transformed Liverpool but Arsene’s legacy in the premier league is second to none. Sorry Jamie but you are miles off it, please don’t be so biased and respect Arsene and what he done over a longer period, including leading the only team in the premier league to be invincible. Everyone appreciates what Pep has done and changed the way we see football in this country but don’t forget AW had a similar effect when he came in 96! You know that era better than me and witnessed it so let’s not forget that!”

The former Arsenal midfielder ignored the rest of the Stick to the Football podcast episode, reacting to a headline quote. Carragher and the rest of the former players including Ian Wright praised Wenger’s influence at Arsenal throughout the episode.

However, Klopp achieved more success than Wenger while facing similar budget restrictions and additional financially super-powered rivals. Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea dwarfed Liverpool in net spending, the power that Arsenal has enjoyed under Mikel Arteta.

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Klopp won the Premier League, ending the 30-year wait at Liverpool while also winning the Champions League. Meanwhile, Arsenal have never won the Champions League, further showcasing how their fanbase and former associates like Wilshere have no grounds to question Carragher’s choice.