Arsene Wenger has admitted that he turned down the chance to swap Arsenal for Manchester United, but does he regret that somewhat?
The Frenchman was considered to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, and held talks with Peter Kenyon about taking over the job.
Wenger insists that he was always happy at the time, and the North-London club’s values meant too much to him to quit the club.
“I was always happy here, people were happy with me and I was always happy,” he said.
“I love the values of this club and, for me, a club is about values first. One day it would be a good chat to have with the press to look at the evolution.
“You speak about Man United, the evolution in the last 20 years would be very interesting. A lot has changed but when I came here this club was about values that I love in sport. That is why I am still in the competition.
“I always question myself. Yes, of course, Man United is attractive but am I happy here? The answer was ‘yes’.
“It is too long to talk about that but I think it is quite an interesting subject that you know certainly as well as I do, but a lot has changed.
“When I arrived here we were 80 people, today we are 700. Sometimes I cross somebody inside our club who I know, that is quite new. Most of them I don’t know anymore. We have changed a lot.”
I’m hearing a lot of past tense in the manager’s comments, including when talking about happìness and values, and it appears as though he may no longer feel the same way about the club.
Wenger signed a new two-year contract in the summer, but at present that certainly looks likely to be his last…
Does Wenger regret staying at Arsenal?
Pat J
I’m sure the Utd fans collectively breathed a sigh of relief, on hearing that news. Eric Djemba Djemba would have got at least a decade at Utd if Wenger was there! Haha
hahaha
brilliant comment
factual in its humour
Dnt troll a legend…. Djemba Djemba was so good he was named twice..
Wenger has become more like a celebrity than a football manager. I can only smile when reading this show-off’s comments in the last several years:
“There have been contacts with PSG.”
“I always question myself. Yes, of course, Man United is attractive but am I happy here? The answer was ‘yes’.”
“I think in the end, he (Messi) was not so keen to move, because it was at a period where Fabregas came, and Fabregas and Messi played together in the same team (at Barcelona Academy). We wanted to take Fabregas, Messi and Pique. It worked only for Fabregas,”
“I knew about him (Cristiano Ronaldo) and we were very close. Manchester United had a partnership with Sporting Lisbon when Carlos Queiroz came in – that made the difference.”
“The player (Mbappe) would tell you that I was at his home last year to try to get him here.”
The reality is none of those realized! 😀
no..WE regret him turning it down
dein leaves , stan joins
the depression starts
I hope Wenger can still attract top players because his recent transfer dealings needs to improve. He was wise to have rejected Manu because they want instant success and Ronaldo wouldn’t be a great player today.
Fergie left a team that needed rebuilding, and it’s amazing how he managed to squeeze so much out of it before he left.
If Wenger had gone to Man Utd he would have disappointed their fans and got fired, just like David Moyes did. It would have been the same for Wenger at any top club that expected to win league titles.
Wenger was top of English Footy
in 2004 when he was 54 years old.
He believed he was God.
But the devil incarnate arrived at Chelsea
in the form of Josi Mou who crushed Wenger two years running.
Then Fergie crunched Wenger 3 years running.
5 years of failure broke Wengers will to fight.
But he was saved by Kroenke’s becoming major share holder in ’09.
Kroenke only required 4th place which matched Wenger’s level.
By 2013 when Fergie left Wenger had gone 9 years with out the title.
Oher clubs were firing managers after two years with out the title.
So why would an OAP give up a 7 mill salary managing
a prestigious club with no pressure to win anything?
92 mill since he last won the EP. Not too shabby for an old fullah.
His only regret is Kroenek not arriving 5 years earlier 🙂
If you ask me AW is afraid of working with top players that’s why he gets injury prone players, or players who are good but not consistent,
I think he was suprised at Sanchez like everyone els how good he is and look AW has no control over him, no I’m not contradicting my self by AW managing to keep Sanchez, he was sold but last mnt F””k up by us meant we had no replacement so the deal fell through and only because the fans would of demonstrated endless
how can a modern day manager canot get a player which he pays millions to trot back to defend or try to get back and win the ball he lost, you all know who I mean ( Ozil )
I remember the whole RVP to united all hinged on a particular phone from fergie to Wenger and Wenger never mentioned what exactly happened in the conversation. I’m guessing Fergie informed wenger that 2012-13 would be his last season he’d want him to takeover.
No he loves th club still despite the changes.
Seems funny how the fans have turned against him, man Utd once wanted him, PSG one of European biggest spending team in Europe still want him.
Maybe they can still se something we think he has lost.
I don’t always understand why he sets up a team the way he does, or why some players are played out of position, but it seems some of the biggest teams in Europe have and still rate him.