Arsene Wenger finally admits to Arsenal regret that led to "funeral"

Arsene Wenger concedes he should've left Arsenal more than decade before he finally departed in 2018.

The Frenchman reigned in north London for over two decades, but the latter part of his tenure was a hostile period.

Fans began to call for him to go as results went south and Arsenal faded out of the top four.

Wenger was hugely successful early in his tenure, winning the double twice and guiding Arsenal to an unbeaten season in 2003/04.

As time went on though the 72-year-old remained loyal to the London club, regularly turning down offers from some of Europe's giants.

Now, upon reflection, Wenger feels as if he should've said yes to a job elsewhere.

"I identified myself completely with the club - that was the mistake I made," he told the Telegraph.

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"My fatal flaw is I love too much where I am... where I was. I regret it. I should have gone somewhere else.

Since leaving as manager three years ago Wenger has not returned to the Emirates, a stadium move he oversaw in 2006.

Now in a role with FIFA the Frenchman sees no reason to head back to north London with the emotional attachment making it very challenging.

"Now there is no special reason for me to go there," he claimed.

"All the rest is purely emotion, and that is less important. It is the end of your life - at least of one life - like a funeral. The end of a love story is always sad."

Wenger identifies 2007 as a key point in his tenure with club chief David Dein departing as tensions grew in the board room.

Dein had been involved at Arsenal for 24 years but opted to leave just as the club were no longer a major player in the Premier League - with the Frenchman questioning his own decision.

"Sometimes I wonder - was something broken after that Invincible season?' said Wenger.

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"2007 was a decisive point. It was the first time I could feel there were tensions inside the board. I was torn between being loyal to the club and being loyal to David [Dein].

"I still today wonder if I did the right thing because life was never exactly the same after. I thought, 'I have now to go to the end of this project'.

'"I could have gone to the French national team. The English national team twice or three times even.

"I could have gone twice to Real Madrid. I could have gone to Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, even Man United."