Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed the reason why he had a rivalry with Chelsea and former head coach Jose Mourinho.
The pair competed against each other for several years, with their rivalry becoming one of the most iconic in Premier League history.
Mourinho saw his Chelsea team come out 6-0 victors against Wenger’s Arsenal on the Frenchman’s 1000th match, a highlight for the Blues during Mourinho’s second stint at the club.
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With Arsenal and Chelsea already fierce London rivals, Wenger has revealed that his rivalry with the Blues, and in particular Mourinho, extends further than just the geography of the two sides.
Speaking to Football Daily, Wenger explained how the rivalry between the two was more to do with Chelsea and their financial power rather than a dislike for Mourinho.
He said: "My rivalry was always more with the clubs than the person, so I never made any statements against the person on a personal level."
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Wenger then continued to reveal that his fall-outs with Mourinho on the touchline was less personal and more because Chelsea spent a huge amount of money in each transfer window.
"I had a lot of aggravations with Mourinho at the time because I felt that Chelsea were the first club that came in and spent money they didn’t earn,” he continued.
"At the time where you had no Financial Fair Play, since that moment - 2004 - they have created FFP, there is more control of the finances of the clubs.
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"Overall, that was the turning point."
Chelsea have shown no signs of slowing down in the transfer market, and had not done so since Wenger’s Arsenal departure.
Despite a change of ownership, Chelsea are the highest spenders in the transfer window having brought in several stars.
Raheem Sterling has joined the club in a £50 million deal and was soon followed by Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli.
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Marc Cucurella was the latest name to join the Blues, arriving from Brighton and Hove Albion, with the spending looking unlikely to stop there.
Wesley Fofana of Leicester City has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, while Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong could also make the move to London.
Former Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could also join Chelsea, with the Blues believed to be ready to submit an official proposal to bring the Gabon international back to England this summer.
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It remains to be seen as to whether the Blues can wrap up these deals, but they appear to be far from done in the transfer market this summer.
Topics: Chelsea, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Arsenal, Football
Nick Emms