Arsenal fans were seething with anger following the revelation of Arsene Wenger’s newly unveiled statue outside the Emirates.
Arsenal legend and icon Wenger has been commemorated with a statue erected outside the stadium, celebrating his accomplishments in north London.
The Frenchman holds the record as the longest-serving and most accomplished manager in the history of the Gunners, having managed the club from 1996 to 2018.
Throughout his tenure, he guided Arsenal to three Premier League trophies and seven FA Cups, famously orchestrating their invincible campaign during the 2003/04 season, where they remained undefeated en route to clinching the league title.
Arsene Wenger sees his statue at the Emirates for the first time #Coyg pic.twitter.com/76vSsoWKHs
— Ashley McKay (@Ashley_McKay) August 3, 2023
Arsenal has now immortalized Wenger with a statue depicting him holding the league trophy on his head, joining the ranks of Thierry Henry, Tony Adams, Ken Friar, Herbert Chapman, and Dennis Bergkamp, all of whom have sculptures outside the ground.
Wenger was observed strolling towards the stadium and ascending some steps to witness the official unveiling of the statue, which you can view below.
Arsène Wenger visiting his statue outside the Emirates Stadium for the first time this morning. ❤️ [@Ashley_McKay] #afc pic.twitter.com/SU5GdZaIHV
— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 3, 2023
However, fans expressed their discontent over the low turnout of attendees at the event, believing that the unveiling should have been more widely publicized.
Replying to the video on Twitter, one user wrote: “The unveiling should’ve been so much bigger than this.”
Another said: “They could have given him a nice ceremony to unveil it with a ribbon cutting instead of just placing it there. They did it for Henry.”
While a third added: “The unveiling should have been handled in a much bigger manner. May be when EPL starts and when majority of the fans are back. This felt a bit underwhelming.”
After being inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame earlier this year, Wenger reflected on his time at Arsenal.
“I was the first foreign manager and completely unknown,” said Wenger, who is now serving as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development.
“There were a lot of sceptics – a belief that a foreign manager could never be successful in England, but it didn’t disturb me. For me, it was a kind of opportunity to show people that I have the level to manage Arsenal Football Club.
“I must say it changed my life completely. I think you cannot be at a big club and not try to give something special to your supporters.”