David Dein Warns Arsenal Fans To 'Respect' Manager Arsene Wenger

The former Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has urged the clubs fans to show respect for Arsène Wenger or risk losing the manager as he comes under increasing pressure at the Emirates.

Arsenal have not won a trophy for six years and fans are concerned at a lack of buying activity in the transfer market this summer. Cesc Fábregas has moved to Barcelona and Samir Nasri is reportedly close to a move to Manchester City. Some fans became embroiled in a spat with the latter this week.

Dein, who left Arsenal in 2007, said Wenger could leave if he did not get the fans' backing.

Dein told BBC Sport: "That's always an option open to him because it could come to a stage when he will say: 'Well, I have had enough.' At least that's how I feel and I feel the fans should feel that. They should at least give him the respect that he deserves for what he's done.

"People talk about: 'Has his time finished at the club?' That's a very dangerous thing to say because it's easy to get rid of people and then what? People talk about buying players. Well, you've got to get players who are better than the ones you've got at the moment."

Dein, who was instrumental in appointing Wenger in 1996, added: "I can understand [the fans'] worry because the expectation level today is so high and Arsène has brought such success to the club. In 15 years that he's been there, every year we've been in the Champions League. So you can understand, perhaps, fans feeling a little bit frustrated that they haven't seen a trophy for a few years.

"Under Arsène Wenger's stewardship, they've had good times and very good times and there's no reason to expect why we shouldn't see them again."