Martin Keown claims it was a good thing Jamie Vardy did not join Arsenal after the Leicester striker revealed a pre-match routine that included drinking port before games.
Vardy has also revealed he drinks three cans of Red Bull and a double espresso on matchday in his new autobiography, Jamie Vardy: From Nowhere, My Story.
The Gunners came close to signing the England international during the summer after triggering his release clause. However, Vardy ultimately opted to remain at the Foxes, eventually signing a new deal which will keep him at the club until 2019.
Arsene Wenger is famed for bringing new ideas to Arsenal, particularly with regards to diet and training, and Keown says Vardy’s recent revelations mean he may have struggled to adjust to life at the Emirates.
“At Arsenal we had a slow sugar diet. Carbohydrates, protein, the sort of approach that was meant to take us into a game in a steady state,” Keown told the Daily Mail.
“At half-time, we were allowed a little chocolate and then after the game we were encouraged to ‘refuel’, taking on sugar drinks and more chocolate.
“Arsene Wenger would tell us to visualise our muscles being shrivelled by the exertion of 90 minutes of play and that by taking on liquid those muscles would recover again.
“He said alcohol would delay that process. Maybe it’s a good thing Jamie Vardy did not sign for Arsenal!”
Certainly Arsenal have not struggled for goals so far this season. Wenger’s men have bagged 22 goals in nine games in all competitions with Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez both leading the club’s goalscoring charts with five each, two more than Vardy.