02 April 2023 , 05:00
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David Seaman has labelled Arsene Wenger as "groundbreaking" in a glowing statement after the former Arsenal boss was named in the Premier League Hall of Fame.
Seaman, 59, made the move to the Gunners in 1990 from QPR as George Graham finally got his man - a year after failing in his pursuit to sign the highly-rated goalkeeper.
Arsenal enjoyed success in the early-to-mid 90s, winning several major honours and Seaman was a key part in that. After Graham was sacked, the Gunners had four different managers before Wenger arrived from Nagoya Grampus in 1996.
At the time, Wenger was relatively unknown among the general football fan. However, what followed was a tactical genius stamping his authority on the Arsenal squad as they turned into one of the Premier League's greatest-ever teams.
During his first eight years, Wenger won three top-flight titles and three FA Cups. Seaman, who made over 500 appearances during his time at the Gunners, was involved in four of those successes before he left the club in 2002.
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When asked about Wenger, Seaman - who was speaking as part of Fishing Republic's partnership with Shakespeare Fishing and the Angling Trust - told Mirror Football : "It was groundbreaking when he came to Arsenal. No-one knew who he was, even us players were like Arsene who?
"We thought he was some sort of professor because that is what he looked like. But then he started to implement his ways in football and it totally changed it for good.
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Arsene Wenger and David Seaman in 2002 (Getty Images)"We won two doubles, we won FA Cups and the way he brought football to the Premier League was brilliant. A lot of other clubs have followed that as well. He totally deserves to be in the Hall of Fame."
Wenger is the third-most successful Premier League manager in history behind Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola and was rewarded with a place in the Hall of Fame last Wednesday. He took charge of 1235 matches at Arsenal, winning 707 of them before retiring in 2018.
As for Seaman, he spent six years working under Wenger and sees him as one of the best bosses he has worked with. Following his departure from Arsenal, Seaman moved to Manchester City to join up with Kevin Keegan.
But his time at the Etihad Stadium did not last long. Seaman struggled with injuries, and after 26 appearances, he hung up his boots at the age of 40 in January 2004. Reflecting on his career, Seaman said: "I had a great time. I had some bad times as well but that’s all part of being a goalkeeper.
David Seaman in action for Arsenal in 2001 (Getty Images)"A lot of goalkeepers are known for their mistakes, unfortunately I have got a few mistakes in there but have got a few trophies. All in all, I think it was a good time."
After retiring, Seaman spent some time doing media work, while also playing golf when he was free. The former England international has been able to do some fishing too - which is one of his favourite hobbies.
Seaman was named as an ambassador for Fishing Republic's partnership with Shakespeare Fishing and the Angling Trust on Thursday and admitted his love for the sport. He said: "It's massively important because we want to get kids into fishing, even today the smile on their faces says it all.
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"We want to get kids into fishing. I know how much I love it and I’m trying to get that energy over to the kids too. I'm passionate up to the point that I have stopped everything else," Seaman added. "I used to play a lot of golf, but I don't do that anymore. I have been retired for 20 years and I still don’t have enough time to go fishing. It's something I am very passionate about."