Arsène Wenger changed the face of English football. It was all him

I will always remember the day before I retired, before the last game of the season in 2002, I went to Arsène’s office and knocked on his door. I had not actually had the face-to-face chat with him about retiring. It had been joked about around the dressing room – “Oh, Dicko is packing in” – and my contract was up but I hadn’t actually had a proper conversation with the manager about it. In a way I needed him to confirm to me it was all over.

I knocked on the door, perhaps trying to grab another year off him, and offered to hang around the dressing room and be a nuisance. He let me down gently. He leaned back in his chair and said, “No, Lee. It is time.” It was like a dagger and yet it was done for the right reasons. It was also a massive relief. He essentially gave me permission – it was OK to walk away because I had done enough. Maybe he has looked in the mirror and had that same chat I had with him but with himself. It is time, Arsène.

I expect he is feeling that mixture of emotions – the pain of the dagger and the calm of the relief. Up until recently I would have thought he would not allow that relief to enter his body because he is a very proud man, a fighter, a winner, set in his ways. Until recently he believed he could turn it around and prove his point to all those people saying “Wenger Out” – he believed he could show that his way could still work. Of late, though, the pressure and maybe the state of the team might have tipped it. That will be really difficult for him and it does make me feel sad. Change of this nature can be massively challenging. It is an institution being a footballer or a manager. It can feel like a scary place outside there. I will be flabbergasted if he goes and sits in his garden and puts his feet up.

If he has his relief, so do we. We can now focus on how great he was and the legacy he leaves. All of the problems the team has in what is a results business had got in the way and made that difficult. Although there are still a few important results on the line this season, getting this big decision out in the open means we can look at the bigger picture and give him the send-off he absolutely deserves.

There is no doubt he changed the face of English football. He was the first. It was all him. His legacy is not only Arsenal based. It is English football-based because of where the game was when he came in and how clubs and players operated. The physiology side of the game, the social side, training – he came in and ripped up the handbook. Everybody said, “Who is this fella?” and the next minute they were all copying him.

The advancements in terms of science and facilities and all the support available for elite athletes is testament to him. I truly believe he pushed the button to start all of that. It is easy to lose track of the fact he was the great innovator.

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What kind of manager do Arsenal need now? I am caught a little bit between two schools of thought. Although Arsène was not an Arsenal man when he came in, it was not long after he joined that he realised all the traditions of the club matched his own. I believe he bought into that really early. So I want someone who has that in his blood. That would suggest someone who has been at the club or an ex-player. Patrick Vieira has so many Wenger qualities and he loves the club and would adhere to its traditions but obviously he has ties with another Premier League team who have taken him under their wing so that might not be possible.

Another part of me wants someone like Max Allegri, whose stature and the way he works is impressive. He has a touch of an Italian George Graham about him, which appeals as well. A mixture of those two types would be perfect but, if there is one person who has both elements, I don’t know who that would be. It is a huge job. It is a massive football club and there is a lot of work to be done with a squad that now has holes in it. The philosophy of the team that will evolve under a new manager will be interesting to see.

I have huge respect for Arsène’s integrity. He has gone through his 22 years with such grace and, if he sometimes fell below the standards he set, that is the passion coming out. His loyalty to the club is massive. He has cherished that relationship. I love and respect what Arsène has done but it has been difficult seeing the same mistakes being made.

Personally I could spend hours in his company every day talking about football. I will miss Arsène massively.

Lee Dixon played as Arsenal’s right-back from 1988-2002