Arsene Wenger has been recalling his first day at Arsenal to the club’s official site, after passing his 19th anniversary earlier this month.
Describing that first week in 1996, Wenger said that he felt extremely welcome.
I was surprised [in my first week at Arsenal] because of the structure of the club with a size like this one. I was surprised that I was quite welcome inside the club, how humble people were.
Wenger was also surprised by the quality of the club’s players when he arrived. A surprise he described as a “good” one.
I expected the players not to be as good as they were because I didn’t have the right image of them. The players were of quality when I arrived here and that was a good surprise.
During his long career as Arsenal manager, Wenger has fired Arsenal to plenty of silverware, including three league titles and six FA Cup trophies, but he’s still keen on continuing to meet expectation levels at the club.
Nineteen years later I’m still here so that doesn’t make us younger but it is a fantastic part of my life and a great honour to have guided this club for such a long time. It is amazing because it’s a rarity in our job.
I’m conscious of the size of the club, the expectation level, so the pressure is even bigger than the first day I arrived.
The Frenchman had come under scrutiny a few years back for the lack of silverware, but two FA Cup victories on the bounce have put Wenger and Arsenal back on winning form.
The club’s continued top four finishing under the stewardship of Wenger is also something to be admired, despite this year’s UEFA Champions League not going to plan just yet.
You can watch a full interview with Wenger via Arsenal Player.
