Arsenal honour Wenger with a statue at Emirates Stadium

Arsenal have unveiled a bronze statue of former manager Arsene Wenger at their London stadium. The Frenchman is one of the most successful managers in Premier League history, leading the Gunners to three domestic titles, as well as their 'Invincibles' season - where they completed a whole season undefeated.

Their longest undefeated stretch was 49 consecutive matches, which remains a league record. Before coming to Arsenal, Wenger spent three years at French side Nancy, followed by eight seasons at Monaco and two years in Japan with Nagoya Grampus. In his 22 seasons in north London, he won a remarkable 17 titles.

He came to the club in 1996, when Arsenal was still playing at their old Highbury Stadium, and built a renowned rivalry with then-Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson. Wenger remains the FA Cup's most successful manager, winning seven times in his time with the Gunners.

Tim Lewis, executive vice chair of the club, marked him as "the club's greatest manager", who will be the guest of honour at the Emirates Cup on August 2nd when Arsenal play his former club, Monaco at their London stadium. 

 

July 28, 2023

Current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who played under Wenger, said he felt grateful that "he chose me to be one of his players and selected me to be the captain of the club and that's something I will never forget."

“I learned so much from him and if I had to pick one of his many great values, it is how loyal he was and how much he defended the club, its players and football in general,” continued the now-manager. “The passion he has for the game is just phenomenal and you could see that...The way he defended the club, the way he presented himself, the way he was loyal to the players and his staff is something that I really took from him. He is an example for me.”

The statue is 3.5m tall and was created by award-winning sculptor Jim Guy. Wenger joins five other statues at Emirates Stadium who have all been unveiled as key figures in the club's history: Tony Adams, Dennis Bergkamp, Herbert Chapman, Ken Friar and Thierry Henry.

 

July 28, 2023