IT’S THE RIGHT CALL TO GET ARSENE BACK IN THE FAMILY

I NEVER understood why, when Arsene Wenger left Arsenal, he wasn’t moved upstairs. If anyone should have a seat in the club’s boardroom, it’s him. He had so much to offer. He still does. He is one of the game’s great visionaries and life’s leaders and they don’t come along very often. Wenger practically built the Emirates Stadium, thanks to his success, and yet he’s never been back there since leaving. If Arsenal are to be seen as one big family, it is only right and proper that the former head of that family should return to the table. It never sat right with me that he wasn’t involved in some capacity after dedicating 22 years of his life to the club. Wenger is still a forwardthinking football man and is currently working for FIFA, developing the global game. If he’s got the time to take it on and he’s interested in the idea, Arsenal should welcome him back with open arms. Mikel Arteta says he wants him back. We don’t know whether that’s in the boardroom, as an adviser or just that Arsenal’s manager wants his former boss to be present on matchdays. But to reunite Wenger with Arsenal, to bring him home, to have him come to games and visit the training ground, can only be a good thing. His love for the club has never left him. It never will. Anyone lucky enough to have been associated with Arsenal will tell you it’s an affection which stays with you for life. Arteta is offering that heartfelt hand of friendship to his old boss. It’s a respectful gesture and exactly what Wenger deserves.