Arsène Wenger Insists He Rejected Real Madrid to Remain Loyal to Arsenal

​Former Arsenal boss Arsène Wenger has admitted he snubbed interest from Real Madrid in the past as he feared he would not be as happy away at a different club.

The legendary manager spent 22 years with the Gunners, and after lifting three Premier League titles between 1998 and 2004, caught the eye of Madrid.

However, he chose to remain loyal to Arsenal, guiding them through their stadium-debt era before leaving the club in 2018.

Arsene Wenger

Speaking to beIN Sports (via ​Metro), Wenger confessed that he was happy with his decision to stay in north London.

"Regret is that maybe I sacrificed a little bit the winning potential against the loyalty potential," he said. "Or the desire to build up the club and the influence I had on the club.


"To build up the club when we built the stadium, against the fact that I could have won more by going somewhere else and being less limited financially. At the end of the day, I’m happy to do what I did.


"I thought from a very young age I want to work the way I like to work. Sometimes today I weigh up a little bit ‘have I done well or not?'.


“But I felt that I was in a club where I met my needs the way I wanted to work. Why change that and maybe be in a bit more glorious situation but less happy situation, where I had less influence on the club? So I decided that I keep trying to experience my love story.

Wenger will open up more on his time with ​Arsenal in his upcoming autobiography 'My Life in Red and White' which, according to ​The Bookseller, will be released in autumn 2020 through Weidenfeld & Nicolson.

Arsene Wenger

Alan Samson, chairman of W&N, spoke glowingly of Wenger's tenure at Arsenal and the impact he had on English football.


“Arsène Wenger is the man who changed the entire face of football in this country," he said. "He is a revolutionary manager whose influence, not only at Arsenal for an amazing 22 years but also on the national game, has been profound. He altered the habits of players yet far more significantly he opened our eyes and broadened our minds.


“For more than two decades he brought to the ​Premier League as much vivid colour and excitement as anyone could, exemplified by the silk and steel of his immortal ‘Invincibles’."


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Source : 90min