Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has urged Arsenal to bring Arsene Wenger back to the club in place of the departing Sir Chips Keswick.
The 80 year-old has stepped down from his role as chairman of Arsenal Football Club last month, leaving a space at the club for a senior figure.
Former defender Keown has claimed that our American owners should be looking no further than Arsene Wenger, who knows the club inside out.
The Frenchman spent an outstanding 22 years at the club, helping them transition from Highbury to the Emirates, as well as guiding the infamous Invincibles to create history.
Wenger left the club in 2018 as the most decorated manager of our history, albeit whilst coming under pressure from sections of fans to quit the club, but Keown would love to see him return to the club, even if he doesn’t think it would happen.
He told TalkSport (Via Goal):”Sir Chips is somebody who had been there for 15 years, took over from Peter Hill-Wood, so I think the club have been respectful with the work he’s done there.
“It would be something special to see Arsene Wenger come onto the board.
“I don’t think so somehow, I think he’s said recently he doesn’t want to do that, never saw himself as someone who would sit on the board but they could do a lot worse.
“You know that I feel that would be almost the perfect answer for Kroenke, the young Josh Kroenke, he needs that older person perhaps around, someone with the experience.
“Other people would think that it would be intimidating for [Mikel] Arteta – I don’t think so.
“If you’re a successful-type personality, you don’t really mind who else is in the building. You embrace that knowledge that could come in through the door.
“So I would applaud that if Arsenal Football Club were to bring Arsene Wenger onto the board.”
Would Wenger consider the role as chairman of Arsenal FC? Would Arteta and Wenger be the perfect team to return us to glory?
Patrick
How refreshing to know that our players still recognize the genius that is Arsene Wenger.
As fans it’s so easy to criticize and that is why, in my opinion, it’s the views of the players that really matter and those views are the ones that define our greatest ever manager.
Exactly right Martin, your views are echoed by millions of Arsenal fans over the world – “Merci Arsene” and, hopefully, welcome back.
African Gunner- answer me this.
Wenger had told anyone who ever listened that he had NEVER broken a contract in his life and NEVER would. He had just signed a new two year deal at the beginning of the season. Then what? He was SACKED PAL. He was told by the Club that he stayed until the end of the season and then was off. Gone. Out. He was given a gentleman’s way out and jumped before he was pushed.
And trust me PAL, I was there at Wengers last game at the Emirates AND the final game away at Huddersfield. He got no applause from me PAL I can tell you. He slowly ruined the Club with his totally outdated and prehistoric management and we are still paying the price now.
FFS- I thought we had seen the back of him when he was sacked.
Keown retired Phil and Wenger resigned, so I assume you mean Emery 🤔
Eh no Ken, it was most definitely Wenger I was referring to.
Phil Wenger was not sacked, it was Emery that was sacked. If really you are Arsenal fan, you will know on his final home game players Stood guard for him to walk through as a legend. Of which Emery didn’t have such time as he was sacked
African Gunner, that was months AFTER he told the club he was leaving as well – trying to rewrite history never works and I applaud you for having such a clear and precise memory of what actually happened.
@Ken1745-I have a very clear and precise memory as well. I remember being HUMILIATED away at Stoke City and Wenger being nearly assaulted by some fans at the railway station after the game. I don’t believe too many fans at that game have him a guard of honour that Wonferful day at the Emirates when we all knew he would never be coming back.
I have a very clear and precise memory of leaving the Allianz Arena in Munich being laughed at by a crowd of Germans. That was pretty humiliating I can tell you. Humiliated at Notts Forest and Sheffield Wednesday when Wenger fielded teams full of internationals against Chsmpionshio sides who totally outplayed us.
I have a clear and precise memory of coming out of Old Trafford after 6-1 and 8-2 defeats. Pretty humiliating I can tell you.
The list for me far outweighs the early days Wenger had, and always will. His trophy counts are fixed. My clear and precise memory of times of total humiliation are countless.
And so the board thought too, which is why he was SACKED.
See my reply to you PAL higher up the posts
I been saying this for ages. Wenger must come back as head of this club.
It will benefit players and Arteta and Arsenal FC. Young talent and top players will want to come as for years and not anymore
Mogunna- it will never ever happen PAL.
You do not sack someone then ask them to come back. He’s gone. FFS PAL GET OVER IT
Neither do you sack someone, then arrange a celebration of said persons time at the club, arrange for players, past and present, to form a guard of honour and present him with a unique gold trophy recognising the Invincibles attended by 60,000 plus Gooners inside and outside the ground and commission a statue to be placed along with the four other club legends already in place… if you “sacked” him.
As people such as David Dein, Bob Wilson and so many other professionals within the game have said, a man who deserves all the positive recognition he gets – just like Mikel Arteta gives him and let’s hope he can equal or even better AW’s record.
Ken
By the time AW revealed that he was standing down the atmosphere was toxic.
I have read both what you and Phil have written and I WOULD have given him a respectful send off after years of loyalty to our great club even though it was obvious to me that he had become a lame duck.
He achieved great things at Arsenal but it is also fair to say the latter years were very disappointing.
Try explaining that to the 5000 Gooner leaving the Allianz stadium after a 10-2 aggregate capitulation.
Or the 3000 away at Swansea on a freezing cold midweek evening where Wengers team had 78% possession, but still had less attempts on goal than a side soon to be relegated in a 3-1 loss after leading 1-0.
Let me know if you need any more examples Ken. I would likely have been at those games so can tell you first hand what the feelings were to Wenger to the hard core travelling supporters who attended every game. They followed Arsenal Football Club NOT Arsene Wenger.
So the CLUB arranged for a farewell based on PAST ACHIEVEMENTS. If the Boatd felt that strongly over him they would not have sacked him would they?
And the weekly Wenger Out protests at the Emirates. Were they organised by the board or the true fans? Who formed the Black Scarf Movement, formed to bring the man down? The Board?
For all those who stood to applause the old, out-dated codger when his time was finally up, there were as many who were glad that day had finally arrived.
We have to move on and concentrate on the future and learn from our mistakes from the past, Im all for a statue for AW but don’t think it’s a good idea of him coming back he is without wanting dividing the fans, also he has stated that he wont step foot in our grounds again so end of story, we need to unite again and I think if Arteta gets some cash to spend we can All move on
Whoa, look at where we at since Wenger left.
Last season was shaky and no matter how hard Emery pushed, it did not happen and we were on the edge to fall further down.
It was confirmed this season, Emery got to feel what Wenger did for 15 years with no money & tricky Kroenke.
Turning point for Arsenal is in 2013 when stadium paid for, money promised for the team but Kroenke back to back ruins 2 key transfers; Suarez and Kante!
As of after then, 2014/2015, market started to fly, we couldn’t cope before with a bargain 45M price tag on both of these players, can’t cope with market flying, til this very day. But we had money all the time; just going straight to Kroenke’s savings.
Let’s be honest, Emery did not achieve goal but was close, we were missing something in the team to reach EPL and EL targets : CL.
When Emery looks at team and ask for Zaha, Partey and Mauguire it Koulibaly to strengthen team in order to reach target we were so closed from; we all agreed on these 3 players!
Instead to get a top CB to what we had, we lost Kos and got Luiz Chelsea did not want anymore.
We did not get that top CB nor that same DM we are linked to.
Trycky greedy Kroenke saw us mad and flashed us Pepe hype and price tag, scared to not see stadium full.
A payement plan as for Tierny and Saliba! Palace and Leicester as Madrid ready to sell Partey then, all wanted cash, no Kroenke tricky non sense.
Zaha was in great from and spirit, happy to join, fighting his club, ending up stock there, not performing as well.
Emery was perfectly accurate in his choices, Pepe is still not adapted, Zaha was….
So, it is important to look carefully, not make excuses but be honest; with these 3 additions we would be second or third today, not off EL. With Suarez and Kante in this team, we would be winning til this very day. That is to me the turning point, since market flew.
Now, Martin did not ask to bring him back as coach but as our boss.
1) it will bring back our shine where young and top players wanted to join, not anymore, we can actually lose Saka & Auba. That ambition is gone!
2) Can’t possibly imagine such a mess under Wenger management with 3 captains in a year and players wanting out….
3) Land support Arteta needs to become a top coach. Wenger was missing energy in the end, Arteta’s full of. Wenger experience will serve Arteta. Wenger is not scared to bench any players to add a youngster ( Saka Martinelli… ) in starting eleven.
I can go on and on, the image of and respect for our club, values, football style are what we lost because Wenger was more than a coach, more so than Sir Alex.
That would be a stunning move but I doubt as Martin, Kroenke used fans to kick our own Prof of a stadium he built and paid for, all for AFC and fans first.
He was constantly fighting Kroenke, and impossible to sack him as much he was doing and represented for the club.
If a new owner steps in, I think it can happen….He is a man of honor and will never work in another football club!
Indeed Martin, a stunning move this would have been for Arsenal.