Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Arsene Wenger has hit back at Unai Emery after the former Gunners boss insisted he inherited a club in decline.
Wenger maanaged Arsenal for 22 years before being replaced by Unai Emery in 2018.
The Spaniard led the club to a 5th place finish in the Premier League and the Europa League final in his debut season before a terrible run of results led to his dismissal in November last year.
In an interview withFrance Football earlier this month the ex-Sevilla and PSG boss claimed the club was on a “downward slope”.
Unai Emery was sacked by Arsenal in November
Wenger, who led Arsenal to their record 13th FA Cup triumph in 2017 has dismissed Emery’s assertion.
“In 2017 we made 75 points and won the FA Cup so you cannot say that [Arsenal were in decline] and the year before [2016] we finished second in the league,” Wenger said at the Laureus World Sports Awards (via Mirror).
Unai Emery dejected as he walks past the Europa League trophy following defeat to Chelsea
“2018 was my last year but it is very difficult to come out on that.
“Arsenal is a club that is in a very strong position financially. It has good players, after that when you are a manager you have to stand up for what you do and your result and not look around you.
“That is the only thing you can do.”
“We stopped this fall and even began to rebuild the club with the Europa League final and fifth place in the league, only one point off Tottenham despite the fact that we took just one point in our final five matches.
“We had Champions League qualification in our grasp and it went wrong in the end. But it was a good season and we had this notion of continuing to improve.”
