adminArsene Wenger was spotted in the crowd during Arsenal’s clash with West Ham on Boxing Day, marking the Frenchman’s first appearance at the Emirates Stadium since his uneasy departure in 2018.
The legendary manager, who spent 22 years in charge of the Gunners, was spotted in the VIP section of the ground alongside his wife, Annie, celebrating Martin Odegaard’s early disallowed goal.
Wenger previously claimed he had no plans to watch his former side in the flesh, but may have changed his mind last season when Mikel Arteta admitted he’d love to see the 73-year-old back at the stadium.
“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,” Arteta said.
“That is 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.”
Wenger left Arsenal in 2018 as arguably the club’s greatest ever manager, though his reputation was sullied thanks to a sustained period of disappointing league finishes prior to his departure.
Debate surrounding his suitability for the job had been fiercely splitting the fanbase for years and his exit felt like more a relief than the riding off into the sunset moment his stint in north London would’ve warranted a few years before.
Since leaving, Wenger has worked for FIFA and is currently the governing body’s chief of global football development.
He became the first non-British manager ever to win the English top flight in 1998, leading Arsenal to a Premier League and FA Cup double, though his most iconic achievement was winning the title in 2004 without losing a single league game. — Daily Star.
Online Reporter