Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says that he would like his predecessor to be more present at the club.
Speaking at the premiere of new documentary Arsene Wenger: Invincible, Arteta talked up the man who brought him to north London, saying that he still has a lot to give the Gunners.
Arteta reportedly took a pay cut to join Wenger's side back in 2011 and played under the Frenchman up until his retirement in 2016.
"If it was not for him I would not be in the position I am today and I wouldn't have enjoyed the career I had," Arteta said of his former manager.
When asked whether Wenger was the reason he became a manager, Arteta added, "100 per cent. I was still young and I had my ideas, but he was a different level of inspiration on how I looked at the game.
"He was very good at being able to transmit what a football club meant into the players and he put different question marks on me. That is why I started to study and take coaching much more seriously."
Arsene Wenger has said in the past that his departure from Arsenal has made it too raw to return to the Emirates. The man who managed the club from 1996 to 2018 has not been seen at a game since he left - but Arteta said that should change.
"I would like him to be more present at the club. I think the players would love him, benefit, and be inspired to have him around and I think for the club it would be a huge boost," Arteta said.
"It was so intense for him for over 20 years and you need to get away a little bit, but I think it would be so beneficial for all parties to have him more present."
