Christopher Wreh

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Christopher Wreh

| image =

| fullname = Christopher Wreh{{Hugman|21719|accessdate=14 January 2018}}

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1975|5|14}}

| birth_place = Monrovia, Liberia

| height = {{height|m=1.73}}{{cite web |url=http://www.11v11.com/players/christopher-wreh-4/ |title=Christopher Wreh |website=11v11.com |publisher=AFS Enterprises |accessdate=17 March 2016}}

| position = Striker

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| youthyears1=

| youthclubs1= Invincible Eleven

| youthyears2= 1989–1993

| youthclubs2= Monaco

| years1 = 1993–1997 | clubs1 = Monaco | caps1 = 13 | goals1 = 3

| years2 = 1996–1997 | clubs2 = → Guingamp (loan) | caps2 = 33 | goals2 = 10

| years3 = 1997–2000 | clubs3 = Arsenal | caps3 = 28 | goals3 = 3

| years4 = 1999 | clubs4 = → AEK Athens (loan) | caps4 = 11 | goals4 = 4

| years5 = 1999 | clubs5 = → Birmingham City (loan) | caps5 = 7 | goals5 = 1

| years6 = 2000 | clubs6 = → Den Bosch (loan) | caps6 = 7 | goals6 = 2

| years7 = 2000–2001 | clubs7 = Al-Hilal

| years8 = 2001 | clubs8 = AFC Bournemouth | caps8 = 0 | goals8 = 0

| years9 = 2001–2002 | clubs9 = St Mirren | caps9 = 3 | goals9 = 0

| years10= 2003 | clubs10= Persepolis | caps10 = 0 | goals10 = 0

| years11= 2003–2004 | clubs11= Bishop's Stortford | caps11 = 1 | goals11 = 1

| years12= 2004 | clubs12= Buckingham Town

| years13= 2007–2010 | clubs13= Perseman Manokwari

| nationalyears1= 1995–2002

| nationalteam1= Liberia

| nationalcaps1= 36 | nationalgoals1 = 12

}}

Christopher Wreh (born 14 May 1975) is a Liberian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He was a member of the Arsenal side which won the Premier League and FA Cup double during the 1997–98 season.

At the international level, he won 36 caps for Liberia, scoring 11 goals, and was in their squad for the 1996 Africa Cup of Nations.

Club career

Wreh played domestically for Invincible Eleven,{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/africa/1623694.stm |title=Wreh raring to go |publisher=BBC Sport |date=28 October 2001 |accessdate=14 January 2018}} before signing for French Division 1 club Monaco as a youth.{{NFT player|13930|accessdate=14 January 2018}} A center forward, Wreh played for Monaco as a substitute in the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League semi-final.{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/match/51019--milan-vs-monaco/ |title=UEFA Champions League 1993/94 Semi-final 2nd leg |publisher=UEFA |access-date=14 January 2018}} He had a spell on loan at Guingamp, finishing the season as the team's top scorer and playing in the 1997 Coupe de France Final, which they lost on penalties to Nice.{{cite web |url=https://m.20minutes.fr/amp/a/2018959 |title=EAG-Monaco: Il y a tout juste 20 ans, Guingamp était dans le vrai avec Christopher Wreh |language=French |trans-title=Just 20 years ago, Guingamp were in the right with Christopher Wreh |first=Jeremy |last=Goujon |newspaper=20 Minutes |date=23 February 2017 |accessdate=14 January 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://www.fff.fr/coupes/fff/federation-francaise-de-football/1997/337107-coupe-de-france/historique |title=Coupe de France Saison 1996–1997 |language=French |publisher=Fédération Française de Football |accessdate=14 January 2018}}

Wreh signed for Arsenal in the summer of 1997 for £300,000, linking up with his former manager at Monaco, Arsène Wenger.{{cite web |url=https://www.arsenal.com/historic/players/christopher-wreh |title=Christopher Wreh |publisher=Arsenal F.C. |accessdate=14 January 2018}} Although fourth choice behind Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka,{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} Wreh still played an important part in the Gunners' Double-winning 1997–98 season. Wreh scored in 1–0 Premier League wins against Wimbledon and Bolton Wanderers in March, the fifth in a 5–0 win against Wimbledon, and netted the only goal of the Gunners' FA Cup semi-final win over Wolverhampton Wanderers both in April. Wreh started in the 1998 FA Cup Final, and although he did not score, Arsenal beat Newcastle United 2–0.{{Soccerbase season|10493|1999|accessdate=14 January 2018}}

Despite scoring in the 1998 FA Charity Shield against Manchester United, Wreh's form dipped and, after the arrival of Thierry Henry and Davor Šuker at the club in 1999, he was squeezed out altogether. He had brief loan spells with Birmingham City, for whom he scored once, against Grimsby Town, and at AEK Athens and Den Bosch, but none of these were subsequently made permanent. He left Arsenal in 2000, having scored five times in 46 appearances.

Wreh then became somewhat of a journeyman footballer. He initially signed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, then returned to the UK in 2001 with brief stints at AFC Bournemouth and St Mirren, but fitness problems meant he rarely played; he then played non-league football for Bishop's Stortford although he only played one game due to repeated absenteeism,{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsc.co.uk/features/13949-from-arsenal-to-bishop-s-stortford-the-strange-case-of-christopher-wreh|title=When Saturday Comes - From Arsenal to Bishop's Stortford: the strange case of Christopher Wreh|last=Davey|first=Ian|website=www.wsc.co.uk|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-04-08}} and United Counties League club Buckingham Town.

In 2007, he returned to football, signing for Perseman Manokwari of the Liga Indonesia Premier Division where he brought an end to his playing days.{{cite web |url=http://www.liberiansoccer.com/Liberian_players_flying-high_in_Indonesia200071243331.htm |title=Liberian players flying high in Indonesia |author=Horatio Bobby Willie |publisher=Liberian Soccer |date=14 August 2007 |accessdate=10 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101125021839/http://liberiansoccer.com/Liberian_players_flying-high_in_Indonesia200071243331.htm |archivedate=25 November 2010 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.francefootball.fr/news/Dis-moi-pas-que-c-est-pas-wreh/543578 |title=Dis-moi pas que c'est pas Wreh |language=French |trans-title=Don't tell me it isn't true |first=Thomas |last=Simon |website=France Football |date=17 March 2015 |accessdate=14 January 2018}}

International career

Wreh made his debut for Liberia in 1995, and went on to win 36 caps for his country, scoring 11 goals.{{cite web |url=http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football/arsenal-fc/christopher-wreh-5605/premiership-appearances_a19143/ |title=Christopher Wreh |website=Sporting-Heroes.net |accessdate=14 January 2018}}

Coaching career

Wreh was appointed head coach of the Liberian under-20 team in late 2014.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/30176429 |title=New Liberia coach James Debbah promises discipline |first=Hassan |last=Kaiwu |publisher=BBC Sport |date=24 November 2014 |accessdate=14 January 2018}}{{cite web |url=https://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=10/news=liberia-hoping-for-repeat-of-history-2709851.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009160414/http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2015/m=10/news=liberia-hoping-for-repeat-of-history-2709851.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 October 2015 |title=Liberia hoping for repeat of history |publisher=FIFA |date=8 October 2015 |accessdate=14 January 2018}}{{cite news |url=https://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/sports/25-football/6065-legal-action-awaits-liberia-fa-for-illegal-suspension |title=Legal action awaits Liberia FA over illegal suspension |first=Christopher C. |last=Walker |website=Front Page Africa |date=13 November 2017 |accessdate=14 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180114184616/https://www.frontpageafricaonline.com/index.php/sports/25-football/6065-legal-action-awaits-liberia-fa-for-illegal-suspension |archive-date=14 January 2018 |url-status=dead }} In September 2019 he became assistant coach to the senior national team.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49545823|title=Christopher Wreh: Former Arsenal star named as Liberia assistant coach|date=1 September 2019|publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=6 December 2019}}

Personal life

Wreh's son, Chris, is also a footballer and currently plays for Maidenhead United in the English National League.{{Cite web |date=23 July 2024 |title=Chris Wreh Signs On |url=https://www.tamworthfc.co.uk/tfc-news/20240723-chris-wreh-signs-on |access-date=2024-10-14 |website=www.tamworthfc.co.uk |language=en-gb}}

Honours

Guingamp

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1996{{cite web

|url=https://www.eaguingamp.com/saison-96-97/

|title=Saison 1996-1997 D1

|website=eaguingamp.com

|accessdate=30 September 2019}}

Coupe de France runner-up: 1996–97

Arsenal

Premier League: 1997–98{{cite web |url=https://www.premierleague.com/players/1305/Christopher-Wreh/overview |title=Christopher Wreh: Overview |publisher=Premier League |accessdate=18 April 2018}}
FA Cup: 1997–98
FA Charity Shield: 1998, 1999