Arsene Wenger's reason for staying away from Arsenal for so long as he returned vs PSG

Arsene Wenger once revealed that he avoided after his departure in 2018, in order to foster a fresh start for the club.

The esteemed former manager, who dedicated 22 illustrious years to the Gunners, returned to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday to attend the against .

Although , thanks to strike in the fourth minute, legacy resonated with the home fans due to his monumental history with Arsenal.

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With three titles, seven , and seven Community Shields, the Frenchman continues to be Arsenal's longest-standing and most successful manager.

Post-exit, Wenger kept his distance from the Emirates for four years, only reappearing during a Boxing Day match in 2022 between the Gunners and . He did not return during Unai Emery's tenure in charge, or while his former player Freddie Ljungberg took over as interim boss prior to Mikel Arteta's appointment.

This need to stay away was a clear point from Wenger, who stated that he wanted to give the club space to evolve without him.

Current manager Arteta recently expressed his desire to have Wenger closer to the fold, highlighting his potential contribution to the team's ambiance.

He said: "Hopefully we can bring him close because I think he would have a great time just seeing the environment that he can create around him when he's around this place.

"That is because of the respect, admiration and love that everybody at the club has for what he's done and for what he represents as a person in this club."

Since his departure, however, Wenger has only been back to the club twice – once in 2022 and then on Tuesday to witness the 1-0 loss against PSG. His infrequent visits stem from a thoughtful rationale.

In 2022, during the book release event for ex-Arsenal chairman David Dein, Wenger revealed his intention to keep his distance from the club.

The iconic ex-manager said: "No, I haven't been there, I think you know after 22 years maybe I arrived at the end of the road and people wanted a change, I can understand.

"I must say I always loyal to the club and turned many many clubs down because I felt like my life was linked with the club.

"The club has chosen a different direction, that I can understand completely and sometimes you need to change completely and have a new start."

Wenger continued: "My presence there could have been a problem, so I stay away completely and give the club the chance to rebuild a new connection with the new manager and that's why I never talked about Arsenal, never came back to Arsenal because I didn't want to be a presence that is not maybe not good for the club."

While Wenger's feelings about his minimal involvement with the club may well persist, the legacy of his success continues to resonate as Arsenal plan to make a comeback in their away clash against PSG.

Arsenal will aim to overturn a one-goal deficit when they face the French team in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. The away leg will kick off at 8pm at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday, May 7.