Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted he has no plans to make a return to the Emirates in the future, just four-years after he left the club. The Frenchman spent 22-years in charge of the Gunners, winning three league titles and seven FA Cups in that time.
He would later walk from his role in 2018, with growing discontent surrounding the direction of the club under both Wenger and the ownership. Since then, he hasn't been involved with the club, despite the huge legacy he leaves behind during his two decades of management.
It led to current boss and former player Mikel Arteta to call for a potential return in some capacity: "Hopefully we can bring him close because I think he would have a great time just seeing the environment that he can create around him when he's around this place, because of the respect, admiration and love that everybody at the club has for what he's done and for what he represents as a person in this club."
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When later asked about what potential role he could have, the Spaniard replied: "I cannot tell you now, but what I can say is that I would like him to be much closer personally to me because I think he will be a great help."
Despite those calls, it seems as though Wenger has rejected the idea of a return to the club in the future, with his current role at FIFA as Global Development chief. He was asked about his exit and a possible return in an evening hosted by former vice-chairman David Dein in promotion of his new book, Calling the Shots.
Discussing that possibility, he said: "I haven’t been there since 2018. After 22 years as manager, maybe I arrived at the end of the road and people wanted a change.
“The club had chosen a different direction and I can understand that completely. Sometimes you need to have a completely new staff and my presence there could have been a problem.
“So I stayed away completely to give the club the chance to rebuild a new connection with a new manager. That’s why I never talked about Arsenal and never came back to the Emirates because I didn't want to be a presence that is maybe not good for the club.
“But I still feel that my life is definitely linked with Arsenal so now I support them from my TV and I am also very busy travelling the world for Fifa.”
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