Ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger confirms he turned down Premier League job
Arsene Wenger says he has rejected the chance to return to the Premier League because he is “too linked” to Arsenal.
The Frenchman has been out of managerial work since ending his 22-year stint as Arsenal boss in May 2018.
Where will Arsene Wenger go next? Five things to know…
- Wenger was linked with a move to Fulham and AC Milan last season.
- But he has previously stated he would never manage another English club after Arsenal.
- More recently, Wenger opened the door on a managerial role at international level.
- The Frenchman says he wants to coach again but has already rejected offers from the Premier League.
- He has also confirmed he is considering an offer to join Fifa in a technical role.
Since then, the veteran tactician has been linked to a whole host of clubs, including one or two on these shores.
However, despite offers to return to the English top flight, Wenger has admitted he has so far spurned the opportunity as he is still too attached to his former club.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m an Arsenal man and after that I’m a professional. I can’t stop working.
“I decided to move out of the Premier League because I am too linked with Arsenal. I had opportunities to work in England but I turned them down.
“I don’t want to tell you [which clubs] because there are people in charge and it would unfair to them.”
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Wenger defends Arsenal record
Despite coming in for heavy criticism towards the latter stages of his Arsenal tenure, Wenger believes it was a “miracle” the club came out in a healthy state following the move to the Emirates.
He said: “I know it is normal that people always want more. We won a lot and we built the [Emirates] stadium.
“It’s difficult to explain today the circumstances in which we built the stadium because the turnovers today have been multiplied by five.
“When we decided to build the stadium, we had a turnover of £90m and the stadium was £430m.
“Then the pressure is really there and I think to come out of that period in a very healthy situation was a little bit of a miracle.”
