Arsene Wenger has revealed he’s still not been back to Arsenal after leaving in 2018, while he says he could seek an “intermediate position” somewhere.
The Frenchman’s 22 years in charge of Arsenal came to an end in May 2018 and he was replaced by Unai Emery at the Emirates.
Despite the end of his tenure being dominated by some protests from fans and calls for change from those who had grown frustrated under the tactician, he remains, on the whole, a Gunners legend.
Wenger, who won the Premier League three times and the FA Cup seven times while in charge of Arsenal, has admitted in an interview with BeIn Sports that he has not yet been back to the Emirates to even watch a game, but he is in contact with people at the club.
The 69-year-old says it’s important he keeps his distance so not to interfere with or distract Emery from his job as he attempts to get the Gunners back into the top four.
Wenger said: “I have been in touch with some people at the club, but I felt when you go like that you cannot be half in and half out. “You have to let the people who come in work their way. I wanted to take a complete distance, it’s still a bit early to go back. I haven’t been back.”
The former Nancy and Monaco chief is believed to have had plenty of offers to return to management since quitting Arsenal but he has yet to take up a new position and admits he is waiting for the right opportunity.
Wenger believes he can offer the game plenty after a lengthy and very successful managerial career and he has made it clear he still has the desire and drive to take on a high-profile role, or even country, as he wants to “experience one more time the experience of the competition”.
He added: “I still cannot live today with the fact that I will never be on a bench again. I might go for an intermediate position. What I want to do is to share what I know, what I’ve learned as much as I can in the game.”
In a wide-ranging interview, Wenger also spoke about how he has enjoyed a new lease of life after largely stepping away from football for the past 15 months but he also admitted he had mixed feelings, saying he was “tempted and a little bit afraid” to make a swift return somewhere.
