Staying with Arsenal for so long was a mistake, reveals Wenger

ARSENE Wenger has compared his 22-year spell at Arsenal to that of a willing prisoner while discussing his biggest regrets.

Wenger is without a club for the first time since 1996 having stepped down as Gunners manager in May. Unai Emery was soon appointed as his successor.

The final seasons of his long tenure were littered with protests against his employment as the club slid down the Premier League table, with his final campaign concluding with a worst-ever finish of sixth.

In a wide-ranging interview, Wenger spoke of his biggest mistakes and regrets.

“Perhaps staying at the same club for 22 years,” he replied. “I’m someone who likes to move around a lot, but I also like a challenge. I’ve been a prisoner of my own challenge at times.

“(I want forgiveness from) all the people who I’ve made suffer. In my line of work, we are constantly making decisions that punish people, while making others happy. When you work with a 25-man squad, it’s basically making 14 people unemployed every Saturday or Tuesday.

“Also, the players for whom I never managed to find the key to helping them reach their potential.”

Former players Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira are both enjoying coaching careers since hanging up their boots. Vieira moved from being a coach at Manchester City to manager at NewYorkCityFCandnowNice.

Henry quit his Sky Sports punditry gig to focus fully on becoming a manager, having three years ago left his role with Arsenal U18s after Wenger asked him not to pursue media duties.

Wenger is confident Henry and Vieira will prove to be successful managers, but knows the pair must make sacrifices.