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Bruce Rioch was the man in charge when Dennis Bergkamp arrived at Arsenal.
Now the manager of Danish side Odense BK, Bruce recalls how Dennis' move
to Arsenal came about.
Arsenal!
"WE'VE GOT DENNIS BERGKAMP. WE'VE GOT DENNIS BERGKAMP."
"whena
player is
happy at a
club then it
shows in his
football. For
11 years he
has played
for Arsenal
and it has
been a great
marriage. PP
I arrived at Arsenal from Bolton after
taking a holiday and I didn't know
too much about the team I was
inheriting. I knew a little about them
after I had taken Bolton to Highbury
for an FA Cup meeting but not much.
I sat down with the coaches Stewart
Houston and Steve Burtenshaw and
asked, "Do we have enough goals
in the team?" Both Kevin Campbell
(departed to join Nottingham
Forest) and Alan Smith (retired
through injury) had left the Club
and so we needed somebody to
play alongside Ian Wright, i spoke
to the coaches about the way that
Arsenal played and the way we
needed to play. It was felt that the
team needed a better balance.
I then had discussions with David
Dein and Ken Friar who told me that
they had heard that Dennis
Bergkamp may be available from
Inter Milan and if so would I be
interested? I said straight away that
I'd take him in a shot. I'd seen
Dennis play in Holland for Ajax and
knew already of his talent. He'd had
an indifferent time in Milan but I
knew that he would fit in at Arsenal.
Dennis came across for some
negotiations and I met him, his wife
and his brother. We talked football
for about an hour and it became
clear that he was passionate about
his football. He struck me straight
away as a really kind and mentally
astute kind of guy. As soon as the
meeting finished, I went to see
David Dein and Ken Friar and said,
"Let's get him. Whatever it takes,
let's just get him."
I didn't see his purchase as a risk for
Arsenal. He had all the right
attributes and he integrated himself
into the team very well indeed. When
a player is happy at a club then it
shows in his football. For 11 years he
has played for Arsenal and it has
been a great marriage. Both sides
have done extremely well out of it.
Looking back, his signing helped
persuade other footballers to come
to the Club. Players like Patrick
Vieira, Marc Overmars and
Emmanuel Petit all came to Arsenal,
partly because of Dennis Bergkamp.
His presence attracted a lot of
different players to the Club.
The thing I remember the most
about Dennis is that he is such a
gentleman. He is great company
and never has a bad word to say
about anybody. He wasn't just a
great footballer but also a great
person as well.
Unfortunately I won't be in London
for his Testimonial and, if truth be
told, that makes me quite sad.
However, I would like to take this
opportunity to wish him and his
family all the best and thank him for
his contribution to Arsenal. Good
luck Dennis with whatever you
choose to do.
