Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are in the heat of battle with Manchester City to lift the Premier League title, but once upon a time they were challengers under the legendary Arsene Wenger.
Wenger guided the Gunners to three Premier League titles, including their well-renowned ‘Invincibles’ season, and announced he would be stepping down from the role five years ago.
The Frenchman’s near 22-year stint was the longest serving and most successful stint the North London side have overseen, but all good things must come to an end.
Wenger drew the curtain on his managerial career in the late spring of 2018, with current Aston Villa manager Unai Emery taking his place. Mirror Football takes a look at how it all unfolded...
An emotional statement
“After careful consideration and following discussions with the club, I feel it is the right time for me to step down at the end of the season," said Wenger when announcing his retirement.
“I am grateful for having had the privilege to serve the club for so many memorable years. I managed the club with full commitment and integrity. I want to thank the staff, the players, the directors and the fans who make this club so special.
“I urge our fans to stand behind the team to finish on a high. To all the Arsenal lovers take care of the values of the club. My love and support for ever.”
What is your most memorable Arsene Wenger moment? Share your suggestions in the comments below
Wenger's fears over exit
Speaking in August 2016, then 66-year-old Wenger revealed he was scared of the day when he had to make the decision to retire.
“It’s been my life and, honestly, I’m quite scared of the day,” Wenger said. “The longer I wait, the more difficult it will be and the more difficult it will be to lose the addiction.
“After [Sir] Alex [Ferguson] retired and we played them over there [at Manchester United ] he sent a message to me to come up and have a drink with him. I asked: ‘Do you miss it?’ He said: ‘Not at all.’ I didn’t understand that. It’s an emptiness in your life, especially when you’ve lived your whole life waiting for the next game and trying to win it.”
Wenger’s contract was due to conclude at the end of that campaign, but he continued into the following season and said in April 2017, one year before announcing his Arsenal exit, that retiring was for “young people”.
"I will not retire. Retiring is for young people,” said Wenger. “For old people, retirement is dying. I still watch every football game. I find it interesting."
How Arsenal's stars and rivals reacted
An “emotional” Arsenal captain, Per Mertesacker said: "It’s been emotional and there will be time to digest it but it is a sad feeling right now.
"He’s been the major figure for this club for over 20 years. He’s been so impressive for me and he’s trusted me so much throughout my career, in bringing me here, giving me the opportunity to play here and making me captain even when I was injured.
"He also gave me a future role here at the club, so I’m very grateful and humbled for the opportunity he gave to me."
Former Arsenal skipper Tony Adams also spoke of Wenger with high praise. “Thanks for everything Arsene. Move over Herbert, Arsene Wenger the greatest Arsenal Manager. #arsenaltillhedies,” Said Adams on his Twitter account.
Another who once donned the armband, Robin Van Persie said “I will always see you as my footballing father where under your guidance I had the chance to grow as a man and a player, i'm forever thankful for that and wish you all the very best for the next chapter in your life!”
Cesc Fabregas, meanwhile, labelled the Frenchman a father figure. “Wow. I never expected that but it shows the great dignity and class of the man. I will never forget his guidance and support, his tutelage and mentorship.
“He had faith in me from day one and I owe him a lot, he was like a father figure to me who always pushed me to be the best. Arsene, you deserve all the respect and happiness in the world.”
Current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also praised his former gaffer, and said a small part of him was still uncertain on taking the job and following in Wenger’s footsteps
“It did (cross my mind when taking the job),” he said. “But it was tiny in comparison to the excitement and the opportunity that I saw to join this club and try to do what we all wanted to do, which is to get it back to where Arsene took it at the highest level and obviously that desire was much bigger than the worries of failure.”
Old rival Jose Mourinho paid his tributes, stating: "If he's happy [with the decision] I'm happy, if he's sad, I'm sad, I always wish the best for my opponents, I always wish the best, so for me that's the point.
"If he's happy with the decision he makes and looks forward to the next chapter of his career and his life I'm really happy for him. If he's sad, I'm sad. I hope he doesn't retire from football.”
Why Wenger left
Despite being a legend of the club, the 2022 visit was Wenger’s first since he received a standing ovation in his final home game - a 5-0 win against Burnley. The icon utilised former Arsenal chairman David Dein’s book launch in 2022 to elaborate on his decision to steer clear of the Emirates Stadium.
He said: “I haven’t been there. I think after 22 years, I had arrived at the end of the road, and people wanted a change. Then I must say, I was always loyal to the club, and turned many clubs down, because I felt my life was definitely linked to the club.
“The club chose a different direction, that I understand completely. And sometimes you need to change completely to have a new start and not me. My presence there could have been a problem. So I thought I’d stay away completely, and give the club a chance to rebuild a new connection with a new manager.
“That’s why I never talked about Arsenal. I never came back to Arsenal because I didn’t want to be a presence that is maybe not good for the club.”
It has been suggested that Wenger’s decision was not entirely in his hands, with rumours circulating in 2018 that the club’s majority shareholder, Stan Kroenke, and other club chiefs became concerned by the team’s poor Premier League performances.
Wenger had previously insisted he would fulfil the remaining year on his contract, but his exit had been frequently touted as a possibility.
Arsenal’s chief executive, Ivan Gazidis, had began to drive a “catalyst for change” when he made a series of appointments on the technical side – most notably those of the head of football relations, Raul Sanllehi, and the head of recruitment, Sven Mislintat.
A succession plan was already being put into place as north London prepared for life without Wenger, but the man himself admitted his regret at not having left a long time before.
Attempting to pinpoint where his time in north London took a turn, Wenger looked towards the departure of Dein from the Arsenal board in 2007.
“Sometimes I wonder - was something broken after that Invincible season?” reflected Wenger in 2021. “2007 was a decisive point. It was the first time I could feel there were tensions inside the board. I was torn between being loyal to the club and being loyal to David [Dein].
“'I still today wonder if I did the right thing because life was never exactly the same after. I thought, ‘I have now to go to the end of this project’.”
And ending the project is exactly what he did on this day in 2018, when he made the announcement public of the closing stages of his successful stint at Arsenal.
