‘I’LL BE BACK ON THE NORTH BANK AS A FAN... AND THEN I CAN SHOUT AT THE NEXT BOSS!’

ARSENE WENGER has vowed to return to Arsenal as a supporter — and sit in the North Bank. As the curtain fell on his reign with an emphatic victory over Burnley yesterday, Wenger was visibly emotional while conducting his final post-match press conference as Arsenal manager at the place he calls home. You get the impression that the Frenchman is still finding it incredibly difficult to process the fact he is the leaving the football club he has lived and breathed for 22 years. Wenger helped shape the Emirates Stadium, having started his tenure when the club played at Highbury, and he vowed to return. ‘I would be happy to sit in the North Bank,’ he said. ‘It depends on if I work somewhere else or not. In the job I do next, will I be free on the day Arsenal play? But I will be happy to be in the North Bank if you can get me a ticket.’ He joked: ‘The positive of that is that I can shout at the next manager!’ It is no surprise that Wenger is finding it hard to let go of the stadium he described as the ‘field of dreams’ when he addressed supporters after the final whistle. The 68-year-old’s role in building the Emirates should not be underestimated. OK, he didn’t shovel cement nor lay any bricks. But Wenger had a huge amount of input in the stadium that opened in 2006. He was also integral in making the move work financially for the club. The manager ensured Arsenal stayed in the Champions League — and recouped millions to help pay for their new home — during a period in which investment in