Arsene Wenger: I still have the appetite to get back into football
When Arsene Wenger announced he was going to step down from his role as Arsenal manager after 22 years in April 2018, it sent a shudder through the football club.
For the first time in over two decades, they were now searching for change. It was new territory for the Gunners but it was also unfamiliar for Wenger.
This was a man who had given so much of his time to football. Blood, sweat and tears had been sapped from the 69-year-old's body during a spell that included unparalleled domestic success in the club's history, but also a nine-year trophy drought.
The Gunners' last league title was won by the Invincibles. That provides you with all the evidence you need of the meteoric fall from grace the Gunners have had.
Yet he will always go down as one of the very best. His success may not have been sustained but the way in which he revolutionised Arsenal as a football club, business and brand will never be forgotten.
It's been a long year for Wenger. Since leaving the Gunners he's attended charity events and also offered his expertise in the form of punditry.
However, the former Arsenal boss still has the hunger to succeed in the game, insisting to Football FanCast: "I will get back into football for sure, whether that's as a manager or not.
"I think the appetite is still there. The desire is still there but I know the type of life I have in front of me. I have to decide that now," he said.
Wenger's attitude has always been unquestionable. He's one of the hardest working managers football has seen and it was his sheer will and determination that took him to so many major honours in north London.
But what was questioned was his ability to succeed later on in his tenure.
There was a cloud lingering over him in London for a considerable period and after finally taking the decision to step down in 2018, he insists he still made the right choice: "I was never too much concerned about how it would be taken but I did what I think was right," Wenger claimed when talking about the way he left Arsenal.
Arriving from Nagoya Grampus Eight as an unknown, he transformed the nature of English football leaving behind a lasting legacy. No one will forget just what he did for the club.
The ex-Monaco man hasn't found a job in management since leaving, but it surely won't be long before he gets back into things. "Initially I said I would manage straight away but now I have taken a little bit of distance and I came to the conclusion that I wanted to share what I learned in life," Wenger asserted.
The last year hasn't gone by without its troubles though. The stress of football management is monumental but just being away from the game he loves appears to have been difficult for the Frenchman.
"Like everyone in life you have competition with others and the competition with yourself. The toughest one was with myself," he stated.
There were also concerns that he'd find it a struggle to keep himself occupied. This is a man who has gone from dedicating every working hour and beyond to Arsenal. As a result, the year away was bound to feel incredibly different.
"I was in front of the unknown," Wenger explained. "You never know how you respond to that situation. I always worked, I never stopped. I started at 29 as a manager. That's 40 years."
Considering the tough times he endured in his later years in Islington, it will have been a welcome relief to have some time off. The job he would've had on his hands to restore Arsenal to its former glory means departing was probably a blessing for all parties too.
Yet after having time away, Wenger admitted: "It was enjoyable. It's not so much the stress. I am always under stress a little bit. It was a good feeling – I don't have to get up or to move. I have a life that is interesting."
His days now are spent playing sport, rather than coaching it. At his age, his attitude towards life is infectious.
But there's also been other activities to fill his time. "I do a lot of different sport. That occupies and I travelled a lot. I did a lot of game observation and charities. I did many conferences on football, on management, on motivation and on the meaning of life."
Where his future lies now is anyone's guess. Following a year away from the touchline, things have moved on. So has Wenger. But whatever job he next walks into will be fascinating to oversee.
Wenger was speaking on behalf of Playermaker.
PlayerMaker is a sports technology company revolutionising the way football teams use data. Utilising cutting-edge motion sensors and advanced machine learning algorithms, their device tracks all technical, tactical, biomechanical and physical movement on and off the ball, giving managers and coaches a granular understanding of their players’ and team’s performance. Used by elite level clubs worldwide, the PlayerMaker device delivers a competitive advantage to some of the most forward-thinking coaches. To find out more, visit www.playermaker.com.