- Arsene Wenger spoke to Mail Sport at this week’s Olympic Gala Of Champions
- Wenger was in Berlin in July to watch Spain beat England in the Euro 2024 final
- Gareth Southgate resigned as England manager just two days after that match
Arsene Wenger fears that Gareth Southgate may have made a mistake by resigning from his role as England manager.
Southgate called time on his 2,849-day reign as the Three Lions boss less than 48 hours after his side had been beaten 2-1 by Spain in the final of Euro 2024 in Germany.
Arsenal legend Wenger was at that final and briefly interacted with Southgate afterwards. However, he did not have a long conversation with the 53-year-old.
Wenger has now claimed that he wishes he had urged Southgate to take longer to consider his future. Speaking at the Olympic Gala Of Champions at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris this week: Wenger said: ‘I saw him just after the final and I forgot to tell him, “don’t make a quick decision”, because when you lose such a big final, you always think in the next 48 hours you will resign.
‘So that’s the only regret I have. But after that you have to sign a competent guy who can continue to do the job he did.’
Ex-Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger attended the Olympic Gala Of Champions in Paris this week
Wenger pictured (top left) posing in a group photo at the event at the Four Seasons George V
Back in July, Frenchman Wenger was a special guest at the Euro 2024 final in Belin, Germany
Spain won that final 2-1 before Gareth Southgate resigned as England manager two days later
Asked who he would like to see the Football Association hire as Southgate’s replacement, Frenchman Wenger replied: ‘Well, this team is like a hundred-meter runner who is one yard away from winning it. Overall, what you want is for them to gain the last yard. Maybe somebody with experience, good creditability with the players.
‘The England squad are very close to win. They have the qualities, so you have to support them for the next World Cup. It’s coming very soon and overall, I must say Southgate did a great job and he has built a team that confidence again, quality.’
Wenger, 74, now works as FIFA’s chief of global football development but he never coached an international team during his managerial career.
His first jobs in management were with Nancy, Monaco and Nagoya Grampus, before he spent a club-record 22-year spell in charge of Arsenal.
On whether he still follows the Gunners, he said: ‘I watch every match I can, most of the time on television, because I travel a lot. I’m a supporter, I continue to be a red and white.’
Wenger’s old job has been occupied by Mikel Arteta, his former captain, since 2019. ‘I speak to Mikel sometimes,’ Wenger added. ‘I believe in life, you have to do as well as you can and give it all when you are somewhere in a place and after, when it’s finished, take a distance and let other people move. And that’s what I do. And I think you want to leave the place well in a good position where you can do, continue to do well and do even better. And that’s all you can do.’
Mikel Arteta pictured (left) in 2016, when he was Arsenal captain, speaking to Wenger (right)
Arteta has been Arsenal manager since December 2019 and has taken charge of 232 games
Wenger has been enjoying watching the Olympic Games in his home country this summer.
He is a big believer in the power that sport has to bring people together but he acknowledges that there is ‘still a big job to do’.
Wenger explained: ‘First of all, it mixes people from all over the world. Sport doesn’t need to talk. You can share emotions with people who don’t speak the language. And we come from different parts of the world and learn to have a high opinion of them and to respect them.
‘So that’s why I fight a lot for that. We have a great example of how sport can unite people but as well, I realised during these Olympic Games when I watched many different sports and in many parts of the world, these sports don’t exist.
‘So, I knowing well what’s happening now, because I travel all over the world, I know well that still huge amount of people in the world don’t get unity in different sports. There’s still a big job to do but the Olympics have a great platform to be an example.’
