Arsenal hero Arsene Wenger is ‘too bruised’ to attend statue unveiling

Arsenal hero Arsene Wenger is reportedly yet to agree to unveil his statue at the Emirates Stadium as he is still “bruised” from the manner in which his time with the Gunners came to an end. Wenger became Arsenal manager in 1996 and oversaw the team for nearly 22 years, before leaving the club in 2018.

Wenger’s early days at Arsenal were a huge success as the Frenchman led the club to a Premier League and FA Cup double in the 1997/98 campaign. He went on to win two more Premier League titles and six more FA Cups throughout his tenure.

His Invincibles team that secured the top-flight title in 2003/04 finished top of the table without losing a single match. And they are still the only team to go a whole season unbeaten since the Premier League began in 1992.

But Wenger’s latter days at Arsenal were marred by underperformance against the top teams and a failure to challenge for titles. And the ex-Monaco manager departed the Emirates Stadium a year before his contract was due to expire.

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“It’s no secret – there is a statue waiting for him to be unveiled. I hope he does decide to do that. For what he delivered to the club, he certainly deserves it. I know he is in two minds. He hasn’t agreed to do it yet. I’m pushing him to try and encourage him that he should. It ought to be there – a permanent memory to what he delivered to the club.”

Arsenal struggled for form in the immediate aftermath of Wenger’s departure. But the club finally appear to have turned a corner this season after storming to the top of the Premier League table courtesy of nine wins from their first 10 matches. And manager Mikel Arteta will now be hoping his side can stay the course and challenge the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham for the title.

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