Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has revealed that he is afraid to retire from football after investing so much of his life ‘waiting for the next game’.
Arsene Wenger has been at the helm of Arsenal for almost twenty years. Through his two decades in charge of the Gunners, Wenger has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He guided the team to an unbeaten season in the Premier League in 2003/04, but has since failed to reclaim the title.
Of late, Wenger has come under increasing scrutiny for Arsenal’s performance — both on the pitch and in the transfer market. Many have blamed the Frenchman’s inactivity in the transfer market for the team’s failures, but the Arsenal manager has thus far firmly stood behind the club’s transfer policy.
The Frenchman, who is in the final year of his contract with Arsenal, has recently stated that he is dreading the day where he retires from the game. He believes that he is not likely to walk away from like iconic Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson did at the end of the 2012/13 season.
In former Aston Villa manager Alex Curbishley’s book titled Game Changers, Wenger has stated that he is dreading the day when his managerial career comes to an end. Sky Sports quotes the Arsenal manager as saying, “It’s been my life and, quite honestly, I’m scared of the day. Because the longer I wait, the more difficult it will be to lose the addiction.
“After Alex [Ferguson] retired and we played them over there he sent a message to me to come up and have a drink with him.
“I asked ‘Do you miss it?’ He said, ‘Not at all’. I didn’t understand that. It’s an emptiness in your life, especially when you’ve lived your whole life waiting for the next game and trying to win it. Our pleasure comes from that – and our social attitude as well.”
For the past few seasons, there has been growing discontent among Arsenal fans due to the team’s failure to challenge for the Premier League title, with some supporters calling for Wenger to be replaced. This season, with all their title rivals making a number of big name signings, the Gunners have made just one in Granit Xhaka.
Apart from the Switzerland international, the other names brought in are Rob Holding and Takuma Asano. While Holding is not experienced enough to start every game in the top flight, Asano will not even be participating in the league this year due to his failure to procure a work-permit.
Thus, left with just two available signings and a number of injury worries, Wenger will have to act fast if he is to keep the Gunners in the hunt for the title and potentially continue as the manager of Arsenal.