Arteta wants Wenger back at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta won the FA Cup twice as a player at Arsenal while Arsene Wenger was in charge of the club

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he wants to bring former Gunners manager Arsene Wenger back to the club in some capacity and has already spoken to him about a possible return.

Wenger, 72, guided Arsenal to three Premier League titles and won the FA Cup on seven occasions in his 22 years in charge of the north London side.

Arteta spent five years playing under Wenger at the Gunners.

"We would be delighted to have him much closer," Arteta said.

"I think he would have a great time just seeing the environment that he can create around him when he's around this place because of the respect, admiration and the love that everybody at the club has for what he's done, as well as for what he represents as a person."

Arteta replaced Unai Emery as Gunners boss in December 2019, 19 months after Wenger's 1,235-game reign as Arsenal manager came to an end at the conclusion of the 2017-18 season.

As manager, Arteta guided the club to FA Cup success in 2019-20 but after a second successive eighth-place finish in the Premier League last term the Gunners failed to qualify for European competition for the first time in 25 years.

Arsenal are fifth in the table after 12 games this season and next face bottom side Newcastle on Saturday.

Arteta said "there has been communication" with Wenger when he was asked if a formal offer had been made to bring the Frenchman back to Emirates Stadium.

The Spaniard said they had spoken at the premiere of the documentary about his ex-boss, who now works for Fifa as chief of football development.

"I talked to him when we went to see the film and it was incredibly pleasant to see him and chat to him, and hopefully we can bring him close," he said.

Arteta, however, added that he "cannot tell" what role Wenger would take up at the club.

"What I can say is that I would like him to be much closer, personally, to me because I think it would be a great help, I think it would be a great help for the club," he said.

"Things take time and I think he has to dictate those timings. What I can say is from my side and I can say, I think, on behalf of everybody, is that we would be delighted to have him much closer."

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  Comment posted by Dermot, at 12:42 25 NovDermot

  12:42 25 NovSeems to me that a lot of people on this HYS have very little experience in life. So much angst against a very genuine guy that is not, repeat not, failing in his job, but does have the intelligence, maturity, humility and self belief to ask for help if and when required from someone who has vast experience of the club, and many years in successful management. What is wrong with that?59827

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    Reply posted by MY WORD IS FINAL, at 12:46 25 NovMY WORD IS FINAL

    12:46 25 Novto Dermot"Seems to me that a lot of people on this HYS have very little experience in life. So much angst against a very genuine guy that is not, repeat not, failing in his job, but does have the intelligence, maturity, humility and self belief to ask for help if and when required from someone who has vast experience of the club, and many years in successful management. What is wrong with that?"MY WORD IS FINAL replied: Nice to see Arteta’s Mum getting involved.131283

  More replies (38)down

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  Comment posted by SD, at 12:21 25 NovSD

  12:21 25 NovNot sure the fans deserve him after the disgraceful treatment of Wenger last few years of his tenure.39635

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    Reply posted by popeye, at 12:40 25 Novpopeye

    12:40 25 Novto SD"Not sure the fans deserve him after the disgraceful treatment of Wenger last few years of his tenure."popeye replied: What about man utd fans disgraceful treatment of moyes then lvg then Jose and now ole. What about Liverpool fans disgraceful treatment of Hodgson and then Rogers. You seem to have selective memory syndrome.128145

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  Comment posted by Robert, at 12:25 25 NovRobert

  12:25 25 NovSeems very mature of Arteta to want someone with huge experience to help him.35514

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    Reply posted by Pope, at 12:39 25 NovPope

    12:39 25 Novto Robert"Seems very mature of Arteta to want someone with huge experience to help him."Pope replied: Experience in being a serial loser37425

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  Comment posted by RJsportfan, at 12:29 25 NovRJsportfan

  12:29 25 NovIf it means Wenger stops his daft ideas for world cups being played every year….. then I am all for him going back into any club anywhere!26424

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    Reply posted by Mal, at 12:56 25 NovMal

    12:56 25 Novto RJsportfan"If it means Wenger stops his daft ideas for world cups being played every year….. then I am all for him going back into any club anywhere!"Mal replied: I was going to post the same thing but you beat me to it.3316

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  Comment posted by fast_and_curious, at 12:43 25 Novfast_and_curious

  12:43 25 NovNow it’s WENGER IN! 🤣🤣🤣16410

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    Reply posted by Ed80, at 13:44 25 NovEd80

    13:44 25 Novto fast_and_curious"Now it’s WENGER IN! 🤣🤣🤣"Ed80 replied: If it shuts him up about having the World Cup every 2 years, good6112

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  Comment posted by Sir Keir Starmers Underpants, at 13:00 25 NovSir Keir Starmers Underpants

  13:00 25 NovArsene loves Arsenal and if Mikel Arteta is asking for some sort assistance then I for one will welcome him back with all the respect he deserves. He won premiership, FA cups and gave us Arsenal fans some wonderful European adventures. Arsenal built a brand new stadium leaving Arsene with no transfer budget and we still had European football. I have nothing but respect for Arsene Wenger1518

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    Reply posted by Lawrence Howard, at 13:05 25 NovLawrence Howard

    13:05 25 Novto Sir Keir Starmers Underpants"Arsene loves Arsenal and if Mikel Arteta is asking for some sort assistance then I for one will welcome him back with all the respect he deserves. He won premiership, FA cups and gave us Arsenal fans some wonderful European adventures. Arsenal built a brand new stadium leaving Arsene with no transfer budget and we still had European football. I have nothing but respect for Arsene Wenger"Lawrence Howard replied: Which wonderful European adventures are this? Losing 10-2 to Bayern? Getting walloped by Barcelona on every occasion? Losing to Olympiakos in Greece every time? Losing 4-0 to the weakest Milan team in years? Losing to Monaco 3-1 at home & going out on away goals? Failing at the 1st knockout hurdle for the last 7 years? That is the reality. 🙄🙄41113

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  Comment posted by TheGreatMc, at 12:35 25 NovTheGreatMc

  12:35 25 NovWenger is the GOAT of English Football…. He revolutionised football played in this country… What a great character, personality and a humanbeing… This Frenchman certainly deserves better than these ungrateful ignorant fans in England..!17462

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    Reply posted by Canuck86, at 12:48 25 NovCanuck86

    12:48 25 Novto TheGreatMc"Wenger is the GOAT of English Football…. He revolutionised football played in this country… What a great character, personality and a humanbeing… This Frenchman certainly deserves better than these ungrateful ignorant fans in England..!"Canuck86 replied: Wenger is no.2 behind Fergie75120

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  Comment posted by PG Woad Hovel, at 12:38 25 NovPG Woad Hovel

  12:38 25 NovBut what position will Arsene “Legend” Wenger be suited to? – Number 10? picking up the pieces behind a big guy? Or False 9 moving from in to out? Personally I can see him functioning quite well as a Number 2.7611

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    Reply posted by Madastronaut, at 12:41 25 NovMadastronaut

    12:41 25 Novto PG Woad Hovel"But what position will Arsene “Legend” Wenger be suited to? – Number 10? picking up the pieces behind a big guy? Or False 9 moving from in to out? Personally I can see him functioning quite well as a Number 2."Madastronaut replied: Love this comment – made me properly laugh out loud :-)1224

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  Comment posted by Big Phill, at 12:47 25 NovBig Phill

  12:47 25 NovIsn’t part of the problem at United that Ferguson is still there in some capacity pulling strings?
  That’s not something Arsenal should look to emulate, no disrespect to Arsene who I admire greatly and felt was underappreciated by Arsenal fans in the final years of his tenure688

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    Reply posted by Devils Advocate, at 13:05 25 NovDevils Advocate

    13:05 25 Novto Big Phill"Isn’t part of the problem at United that Ferguson is still there in some capacity pulling strings?That’s not something Arsenal should look to emulate, no disrespect to Arsene who I admire greatly and felt was underappreciated by Arsenal fans in the final years of his tenure"Devils Advocate replied: Exactly what i was thinking. I admire the sentiment from Arteta, but having Wenger lurking about in the background would just undermine his ability to put his own stamp on things. Plus, it would be a backward step and i want to see us move forward again.316

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  Comment posted by liverpool supporter right here, at 12:37 25 Novliverpool supporter right here

  12:37 25 NovMikel Arteta knows that Arsene Wenger is legend at Arsenal unlike the fans who wanted him out by hiring a plane showing a sign saying Wenger Out6218

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    Reply posted by John Blake, at 13:32 25 NovJohn Blake

    13:32 25 Novto liverpool supporter right here"Mikel Arteta knows that Arsene Wenger is legend at Arsenal unlike the fans who wanted him out by hiring a plane showing a sign saying Wenger Out"John Blake replied: Egged on by Ian Wright144

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  Comment posted by Orkneyboy, at 12:57 25 NovOrkneyboy

  12:57 25 NovIf one thing is clear from this, and lets face it most football HYS on the subject. Many football fans are hypocritical, tribal, without imagination, neanderthal, downright ignorant, forgetful… the list goes on.

  “One man asks another for advice and help” and football HYS loses it’s collective marbles.

  Mind you politics HYS is the same.393

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    Reply posted by Lawrence Howard, at 13:01 25 NovLawrence Howard

    13:01 25 Novto Orkneyboy"If one thing is clear from this, and lets face it most football HYS on the subject. Many football fans are hypocritical, tribal, without imagination, neanderthal, downright ignorant, forgetful… the list goes on.”One man asks another for advice and help” and football HYS loses it’s collective marbles.Mind you politics HYS is the same."Lawrence Howard replied: Football & Politics are the same. Biased & opinionated views from all sides especially from “armchair experts.” 😂😂😂262

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  Comment posted by Sirrantsalot, at 12:36 25 NovSirrantsalot

  12:36 25 NovNot an AFC fan but like what Arteta is trying to do here. If Wenger comes back to Arsenal maybe he’ll stop trying to mess with the World Cup.4410

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    Reply posted by Lets Agree To Disagree, at 14:03 25 NovLets Agree To Disagree

    14:03 25 Novto Sirrantsalot"Not an AFC fan but like what Arteta is trying to do here. If Wenger comes back to Arsenal maybe he’ll stop trying to mess with the World Cup."Lets Agree To Disagree replied: Arteta needs to be careful about what he wishes for, as Wenger may end up replacing him, as happens most times in these types of arrangements.
    Gerard Houllier was bought in to ‘help out’ Roy Evans, everybody knows the rest of the story.135

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  Comment posted by Perivale Elvis, at 12:41 25 NovPerivale Elvis

  12:41 25 NovIt wouldn’t be the same. There’s not much for Mr Wenger not to see now there is VAR and pitch side monitors.379

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    Reply posted by Dallas Cowboys Liverpool FC, at 14:42 25 NovDallas Cowboys Liverpool FC

    14:42 25 Novto Perivale Elvis"It wouldn’t be the same. There’s not much for Mr Wenger not to see now there is VAR and pitch side monitors."Dallas Cowboys Liverpool FC replied: Considering the rate at which the game changes these days, he could find that the game has passed him by. If it happens, it wouldn’t be the first time, nor the last.63

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  Comment posted by R Lichtie, at 12:42 25 NovR Lichtie

  12:42 25 NovNot an Arsenal or United fan, but don’t be daft, Mikel. It’s the Sir Alex trap of a club living in the past and look what it’s done for them. The story of Bill Shankly hanging around Melwood unwanted after his retirement is another example. Move on.269

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    Reply posted by McWibble, at 12:52 25 NovMcWibble

    12:52 25 Novto R Lichtie"Not an Arsenal or United fan, but don’t be daft, Mikel. It’s the Sir Alex trap of a club living in the past and look what it’s done for them. The story of Bill Shankly hanging around Melwood unwanted after his retirement is another example. Move on."McWibble replied: Busby did it too, only with Shankly/Paisley the success just grew, Busby left a mess behind and it took years to right it, decades in fact. At least Wenger had the good sense to get totally out of it. He’d do right to keep it that way too. He’s too good a man for current Arsenal, their fans are horrible and the board is just as bad. I’m an LFC fan, I’ve always liked Wenger though. Good bloke.171

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  Comment posted by Mad World, at 13:33 25 NovMad World

  13:33 25 NovAs long as they get him a coat without a zip, he’ll be fine130

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    Reply posted by Rustynuts, at 20:58 25 NovRustynuts

    20:58 25 Novto Mad World"As long as they get him a coat without a zip, he’ll be fine"Rustynuts replied: Speaking as someone who has the same problem, I can say that it’s a garment manufacturing problem!00

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  Comment posted by Nicky, at 12:24 25 NovNicky

  12:24 25 NovAbsolutely! Match made in heaven – AW = Legend2613

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  Comment posted by LuThe, at 12:41 25 NovLuThe

  12:41 25 NovA planned harmonious transition of Wenger upstairs into a Technical Director / DoF role immediately might have benefitted at the time. But the acrimonious split – with so many roles implemented pre-departure to sideline him – can’t benefit now to bring him back. Any/all future failures will be labelled his fault again.

  Wenger too gracious and smart to return anyway I’d think.175

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    Reply posted by Rustynuts, at 21:00 25 NovRustynuts

    21:00 25 Novto LuThe"A planned harmonious transition of Wenger upstairs into a Technical Director / DoF role immediately might have benefitted at the time. But the acrimonious split – with so many roles implemented pre-departure to sideline him – can’t benefit now to bring him back. Any/all future failures will be labelled his fault again.Wenger too gracious and smart to return anyway I’d think."Rustynuts replied: He certainly cares about football. There are stories about him watching live football into the night.00

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  Comment posted by Hot Shot Hamish, at 12:58 25 NovHot Shot Hamish

  12:58 25 NovThat there is a man that cares about a club before himself.154

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    Reply posted by Googly, at 18:54 25 NovGoogly

    18:54 25 Novto Hot Shot Hamish"That there is a man that cares about a club before himself."Googly replied: A large section of Arsenal fans don’t deserve Wenger’s return.13

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  Comment posted by HandOfBob, at 12:40 25 NovHandOfBob

  12:40 25 NovHow a certain set of ‘fans’ treated him before he left for the sake of clicks and likes was diabolical. Hope he remembers that if he’s presented with the opportunity.157

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  Comment posted by U20482005, at 12:27 25 NovU20482005

  12:27 25 NovJust what the world needed…another Wenger in/out HYS. Ohhhhhh hokey hokey cokey125

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