Sam Allardyce says Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger lost his way after early successes with the club.
The Hammers boss says he “doesn’t know what happened” to Wenger after his first five years with Arsenal. He says they have lost their “steel” after a change of ethos from the one that served Wenger well early in his reign.
Allardyce told the Daily Express: “Arsene Wenger’s change of culture at Arsenal was a major success. Getting players like Ian Wright and Tony Adams to change their way of thinking, coupled with his buying policy, was amazing.
“His first five years were amazing. But I don’t know what happened to him after that.
“He seemed to change his whole ethos – I don’t know if it was because he had the new stadium to pay for, you will have to ask him. “It became all about smaller, pretty footballer than it did about the big hard talented footballers who won the ball and won him the key games. Never mind being able to play, they could mix it, too. He was challenging Manchester United on a regular basis and went a whole season without being beaten. They were fantastic. Then all of a sudden this change of culture happened where every midfielder seemed to be 5ft 8in and they lost that steel.”
