Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger admits he is 'scared' of retirement

Wenger has been Arsenal's longest serving manager

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that he is scared of the day when he will have to step down as a football manager. The Frenchman will complete two decades with Arsenal in the month of October, having joined them in the year 1996. Wenger is among one of the longest serving managers in the history of the Premier League and with one year left on his contract, the current season may be his last.

Despite a disappointing start in the first two games of the league season which just fetched them a point, Wenger has admitted he cannot admit walking away from the football pitch.

“Football has been my life, and honestly, I’m quite scared of the day. Because, the longer I wait, the more difficult it will be to lose the addiction,” he said in an interview in Game Changers: Inside English Football.

“After Sir Alex Ferguson retired and we played Manchester United over there he sent a message to me to come up and have a drink with him.

“I asked: ‘Did you miss it?’ and 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."

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Wenger has received a lot of flack from the club and the fans in recent times as Arsenal continue to endure another unsuccessful season in making big signings. Wenger's penny-pinching spending in the transfer market has left the fans frustrated as rival clubs continue to splash huge money on players all around the world.

There were various banners displayed last season at the Emirates calling for Wenger's resignation and fans also booed the team after an opening defeat at home to the Reds.

Arsenal has managed to make just one decent signing this summer of Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach. Wenger is also desperately in search of a central defender as the transfer window nears an end.

Also read: 5 possible replacements for Arsene Wenger

With Gabriel Paulista and Per Mertesacker injured, Wenger has made constant attempts to sign Valencia defender Shkodran Mustafi though his fee might be too heavy for Wenger's pocket.With new managers and players coming in this Premier League season, it will be interesting to see how Wenger fares in what could be his last campaign.

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