Wenger praises Bould approach

Arsene Wenger has hailed the impact of new assistant manager Steve Bould in helping to shore up Arsenal’s shaky defence.

The former Gunners centre-back left his post as youth team coach to replace the long-serving Pat Rice as Wenger’s right hand man in the summer.

Bould has widely been credited with helping the north London side keep three consecutive clean sheets to start the new season.

Arsenal conceded a club record 49 Premier League goals last season, but have kept out Sunderland, Stoke and Liverpool already this campaign.

And the Frenchman was quick to praise Bould’s impact, and set his sights on maintaining their record as the country’s meanest defence for the whole season.

Speaking at the UEFA elite club coaches forum in Nyon, Switzerland, the Arsenal manager said: “We have played two teams who didn’t really attack, but he (Bould) is doing a good job.

“We continue our training regime. He has taken over from Pat Rice for the defensive job where he is doing very well.

“Will we finish with the best defence in the league? I hope so.”

However, Wenger was quick to assuage fears that the appointment of Bould might see a return to the George Graham days of racking up 1-0 victories, a style which famously attracted chants of “Boring, Boring, Arsenal”.

“No, no, we want to score goals, but Steve Bould is doing very well and I am confident we have a good defensive record at the end of the season,” he said.