The manager of Arsenal football club, Mikel Arteta wishes to have more of Arsene Wenger at the club even though the legendary coach is currently busy with FIFA.
The 39-year-old Spanish tactician who played under Arsene Wenger between 2011 and 2016 before he retired to start a coaching career, said the 72-year-old French coach inspired him to become a coach.
Recall that Wenger was in charge of Arsenal between 1996 and 2018 before he retired from coaching. The Frenchman is famous for leading an Arsenal team that won the 2003-2004 Premier League title without losing a game.
Since then, no team has been able to repeat the feat Arsene Wenger’s “Invincible” achieved 17 years ago. Aside from the undisputed record, Wenger helped the club to win a total number of 17 major titles before he left the club.
The French legend is currently serving as FIFA’s chief of global football development and he is working to introduce the biannual FIFA World Cup.
In Wenger’s absence at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta has been using the five years of experience he gained under the French coach to rebuild his team to become title contenders again. He was appointed the coach of Arsenal in December 2019, after spending about three years at Manchester City where he served as Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach.
Even though Mikel Arteta has been the coach of Arsenal for almost three years already, he still feels he needs Arsene Wenger’s presence at the Emirates Stadium.
The Spanish coach who was present at the film premiere of “Arsene Wenger: Invincible” on Tuesday night, November 9, said he would not have enjoyed his football career as much as he did without Arsene Wenger.
“If it was not for him I would not be in the position I am today and I wouldn’t have enjoyed the career I had”, Arteta said.
On how Arsene Wenger helped him to become a coach, Mikel Arteta said: “I was still young and I had my ideas, but he was a different level of inspiration on how I looked at the game.
“He was very good at being able to transmit what a football club meant into the players and he put different question marks on me. That is why I started to study and take coaching much more seriously.
“I would like him to be more present at the club. I think the players would love him, benefit, and be inspired to have him around and I think for the club it would be a huge boost.
“It was so intense for him for over 20 years and you need to get away a little bit, but I think it would be so beneficial for all parties to have him more present.”
🗣 “if not for him, I would not be in the position I am in today.”
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 10, 2021
Mikel Arteta says Arsene Wenger is the inspiration for him getting in to management pic.twitter.com/xNAyF34KJz
On the other hand, Arsene Wenger said he might return to football management but it might be at the national team level not at club level.
He however stressed that he is currently focused on completing his project at FIFA which includes the introduction of the biannual FIFA World Cup.
“I’m crazy enough to be crazy and to make a crazy decision, but I’m determined at the moment not to do it, maybe a national team at some stage”, Wenger said during the film premiere of “Arsene Wenger: Invincible”.
“But at the moment I’m involved in projects with FIFA and I want to go to the end with it and that’s for me more useful now.”
🗣 “I’m crazy enough to make a crazy decision. I’m determined not to do it, but maybe a national team.”
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 10, 2021
Arsene Wenger does not rule out the possibility of getting back in to management but says he is focused on his current projects with FIFA pic.twitter.com/yhDEkgbbpb
🎶 One Arsene Wenger, there’s only one Arsene Wenger 🎶
— Av (@aviv_lavi) November 8, 2021
pic.twitter.com/IjPGMniO4E
