Ahead of the new Premier League season Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger claims he is ‘scared’ of the day when finally decides to retire from the game. Appointed Gunners boss in September 1996, this will be his 20th season in charge of the north London club.
Wenger turns 67 in October and is also on the final year of his contract. While his future as Arsenal boss is not a certainty after the 2016/17 season, Le Professeur does not have retirement on his mind.
“It’s been my life and, honestly, I’m quite scared of the day,” Wenger explained. “The longer I wait, the more difficult it will be and the more difficult it will be to lose the addiction.
Wenger recalls a meeting with former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson who had invited him for a drink on one of Arsenal’s visits to Old Trafford following the Scottish manager’s retirement in 2013. He had asked his former rival if he missed football on a daily basis and was confused by his response.
“After Alex retired and we played them over there [at Old Trafford] he sent a message to me to come up and have a drink with him,” Wenger said.
“I asked: ‘Do you miss it?’ 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.”
Wenger looking at young players in lower leagues who aren’t millionaires
The French boss also spoke about why he was paying attention to players from the lower leagues and also instructed his scouts to look for players capable of making the step up to the Premier League. The Gunners have already signed 20-year-old defender Rob Holding from Bolton Wanderers and he may not be the last.
Wenger’s logic is that such players may be more capable and willing to fight for their spot and the team rather than youngsters who were already millionaires before they turn 20.
“I’ve fought all my life for footballers to make money but when you pay them before they produce it can kill the hunger. I’m scared we now have players under 17, under 18, who make £1m a year.
“Now, before they start, they are millionaires – a young player who has not even played. What I think will happen is that you will have more and more players coming out of the lower leagues who have had to fight their way through.
“Compare that with a player who has been educated here, who has had Champions League for 17 years, who has not known anything else. It’s not a dream, it’s normal for him. But if you play for a team in the lower leagues and watch Real Madrid or Barcelona on Wednesday nights you think: ‘I’d love to play in games like that.’”
