Arsene Wenger was not too well known before he joined Arsenal in 1996, but former Tottenham striker Gary Lineker was well aware of the legendary manager.
Lineker had enjoyed a glittering career which also saw him play for Barcelona and Everton, before finishing his career at Japanese side Nagoya Grampus Eight.
The former England star finished his career in Japan just before Wenger arrived there to coach the team he had departed, and this was the last club he managed before arriving at Highbury after agreeing a deal with former Chairman David Dein.
Lineker departed Japan just before Wenger arrived, and the Frenchman took advantage of the former striker’s old accommodation, much to his amusement.
Gary Lineker reveals hilarious Arsene Wenger moment from Nagoya Grampus spell
Speaking on The Rest Is Football Podcast, Lineker explained how Wenger would go into his old flat in Japan to send fax messages, and did not even replace his correspondence paper.
“When I left there, I was in an apartment in very confined space – in Japan everyone lives in small rooms,” he stated.
“I had like a two-bedroom apartment, and I was there for two years and it was really pleasant, and then I left and actually Arsene Wenger joined Nagoya after I left and had great success there.
“This to me showed how good he was, because when I left, I think we were near the bottom – don’t blame me, I was injured anyway!
“Then Arsene Wenger came in – and then I read David Dein’s book, and he talked about when he signed Arsene Wenger from Nagoya Grampus Eight, and he told the story that they were kind of negotiating and talking via fax in those days, every time the fax came through it had my name on the top.
“Arsene Wenger went into my apartment and obviously used my fax machine, and didn’t even buy his own bloody paper, he had my name on every fax at the top of it!”
Arsene Wenger’s successful Nagoya Grampus spell prior to Arsenal move
It was in Nagoya that Wenger learned more about diets, conditioning and player fitness, and he brought a lot of the Japanese culture he had encountered to Highbury.
His side went from near the bottom, to runners-up in 1995, and also won the Empreror’s Cup in 1996, before he then joined Dein at Arsenal, and in his first full season, he won the Premier League and FA Cup double.
“Arsene Wenger changed everything at the club and he showed the players that they could enjoy playing football, enjoy training,” former Serbia star Dragan Stojkovic stated of Wenger’s time at Nagoya.
READ MORE: All Arsenal legends in the Premier League Hall of Fame from Henry to Wenger
“It wasn’t just a job but that they could express themselves. It took time but the players started to respond.”
Without his spell at Nagoya, Wenger may never have ended up at Arsenal, or brought immediate success to Highbury, and he may have Lineker to thank for some of his excellent work in Japan.