LONDON — When Arsene Wenger was introduced as manager of Arsenal in October of 1996 none of the assembled media knew who he was. Some French guy who had been working in Japan was the limit of our knowledge.

He looked like a professor when he walked in, but half an hour later it was obvious that the new manager had something special. He was intelligent, eloquent and did not talk in manager-speak cliches.

We may not have known who Wenger was, but as first impressions went, he passed the test of a cynical press with flying colors.