Definitely Maybe, Arsene Wenger and the Marketing of 21st Century Football

In his book ‘Accelerate – A History of the 1990s’, James Brooke-Smith argues that much of what is happening today has its origins in what happened back then.

The recent release of merchandise by Manchester City and Arsenal both give credence to Brooke-Smith’s hypothesis.

In 1994, Manchester band Oasis released its debut studio album Definitely Maybe. The album’s cover was an homage to all things Manchester, including one of its local football clubs – City.

Also in 1994, Arsene Wenger was managing French club Monaco, for whom Liberian Christopher Wreh was playing. Later, Wreh would become Wenger’s first African player signing at Arsenal – a roster that would go on to include Kolo Toure, Nwankwo Kanu, and Lauren.

This summer, City launched a range of merchandise in collaboration with Oasis’ Noel Gallagher and Puma (the club’s current kit provider). This appears to be targeted at football, music, and fashion fans, especially those millennials whose formative years were often dominated by all three.

Meantime, Arsenal released a first-team shirt inspired by the club’s connections to Africa. There is a huge Arsenal fan base across Africa, indeed it is no coincidence that a Visit Rwanda logo appears in the club’s shirt – Rwandan president Paul Kagame even claims to be an Arsenal fan. Wenger’s signing strategy has proved to be profound, perhaps even more than he imagined.

Danish physicist Nils Boehr once said, ‘prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future’. One place to start addressing this challenge is by contemplating what’s happening now, as it will inevitably shape the future.