I played under Arsene Wenger and Pep Guardiola and one made a much bigger impact

A three-time Premier League winner, who played under Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger, has delivered his verdict on which manager wielded greater influence.

Gael Clichy formed part of Arsenal's legendary "Invincibles" squad that completed their entire 2003-04 title-winning campaign unbeaten under Wenger's guidance. The French full-back subsequently moved to Manchester City in 2011, claiming two additional Premier League crowns.

During his final campaign at the Etihad Stadium in 2016-17, Clichy experienced Guardiola's meticulous coaching approach first-hand, and has now disclosed which manager he believes has left a more significant mark on English football. The 40-year-old, who is currently pursuing a career in management, lauded Guardiola for elevating City to unprecedented levels, and considers himself fortunate to have worked with him.

However, speaking to former Manchester United and Wrexham goalkeeper Ben Foster, Clichy argued it was Wenger who transformed the game more profoundly following his initial arrival in north London in 1996.

"Arsene changed the game when he arrived, with a vision that nobody had in England," he said on the Fozcast podcast. "Also Arsene had a club with history. I'm not saying City didn't have history, but really in the last ten or 12 years, he [Pep] has given City a glow up.

"Now, it's one of the clubs that everybody wants to join, but it's always easier to come into a club that needs everything to be written. When Arsene arrived, he had players that had already won something.

"It's very similar but at the same time, very different. Pep is not the one [who had the biggest impact], because the one is Arsene, and it will always be Arsene. He's the one that gave me my chance."

Clichy departed City in 2017 and subsequently featured for Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir and Swiss side Servette, before hanging up his boots in 2023. He has since transitioned into coaching and spent two years working as an assistant with France's Under-21s before recently departing to pursue life as a head coach.

Despite naming Wenger as having the greater influence on his career, Clichy wishes he could have worked under Guardiola for a longer period and credits the Catalan for inspiring him to become a manager.

"I've been lucky, because I love the game so much, to have met Pep in my last year at City," he said. "I never really considered being a coach, even though I always had a good relationship with young players, but seeing him working...I said to myself, 'if being a coach is like this, then I want to try.'".

He added: "I feel that this one year of working under Pep was not enough, because I would have loved to have met him before. He could have made me a better player. We will never know but at the same time, I'm glad he didn't because then it triggered my curiosity [in coaching]."

Clichy has recently disclosed that he's received managerial offers from clubs in Europe and the United States. However, his ambition is to finish his UEFA Pro Licence with the Football Association of Wales this December before taking on a managerial role.

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