MX23RW : Wednesday, November 27 02:28:08| >> :120:14616:14616:

Arsene Wenger admits he may have outstayed his welcome at Arsenal

Arsene Wenger admits he may have outstayed his welcome at Arsenal
© Reuters
Arsene Wenger left the Gunners in 2018 after a 22-year spell in charge.

Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted he 'maybe stayed too long' at the club.

Wenger left the Gunners in 2018 after a 22-year spell in charge which returned three Premier League titles, seven FA Cups, a Champions League final appearance and a new stadium.

But with the club failing to mount a serious title challenge following the move to the Emirates Stadium from Highbury in 2006, calls of 'Wenger out' from the fans had become a common occurrence in his last few seasons.

Fans hold up a Wenger Out banner
Fans hold up a Wenger Out banner (Nick Potts/PA)

The Frenchman, now chief of global football development at FIFA, admitted he could maybe have left the north London club earlier – but is adamant every decision he made was in Arsenal's best interests.

"Maybe I stayed too long," he told the Times. "I don't know. But I was committed like on the first day.

"I think I guided the club through the most difficult period in a very successful way.

"At some stage people say you're too old, but they don't really look at what you do. I served the club as much as I could.

Arsene Wenger enjoyed success with the club
Arsene Wenger enjoyed success with the club (John Stillwell/PA)

"The supporters were not happy any more. Some of them. You can understand that, at some stage, 22 years, people want a change."

His long-time rival Sir Alex Ferguson – now a friend according to Wenger – was offered a role as a director after ending his long spell in charge of Manchester United.

Wenger – who said in the interview he was once offered the United job but would not be drawn on when he was approached – got no such offer from the Gunners.

He said: "I don't know (why he was not offered a place on the board). I always said I would still play a part in the club, but I could understand that at the start it's better that we take a complete distance.

"It was difficult at the start, of course, after leading my club as long as I did, but I thought it's better to follow from a distance."

ID:416960: cacheID:416960:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5625:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Arsenal players, including Eddie Nketiah, celebrate a goal during Wednesday's EFL Cup clash with Leicester City on September 23, 2020
Read Next:
Arsenal to face Dundalk, Leicester meet Braga in Europa League group stage
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!