In response to some (actually reasonably ambiguous) words from Roberto Mancini about Samir Nasri, Wenger said on Saturday: "These comments are not allowed. They are against the basic rules of football and Roberto Mancini should be informed. What we want is respect - we will not comment on footballers at other clubs. It's time football in England came back within basic rules...This comment is absolutely out of order."
And Arsenal suit Ivan Gazidis followed up on Monday: "We don't do our business in public."
Well quite.
However, Wenger is apparently a student of the 'Do what I say, not what I do' school of pious self-righteousness. Here are a selection of his comments about Marouane Chamakh before he joined Arsenal last summer and he was very much still under contract with Bordeaux:
July 3, 2009: "Yes, but only in the event of a departure." (After being asked if he was interested in Chamakh.)
July 18, 2009: "Chamakh is one of the players we've followed and if we need to go for a striker he's a possibility. We're keeping an eye on him."
August 4, 2009: "I like Chamakh, he is a forward that attracts me...I am in no rush...Chamakh would be good, but there are other options should we wish to pursue them."
Out of order indeed. In fact, Arsene's complaint was rather familiar, as Bordeaux's president Jean-Louis Triaud said in September 2009:
"What I do not like in the behaviour of Arsène Wenger, who is doing this again today, is that at the beginning, he declared his interest in Chamakh, a long time before calling me. Then he ended up doing so. And now, Mr Wenger is starting again, again starting to put doubt in the mind of the player. And I don't find that very correct."
Quite so.