Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger reiterated that he has always been close with Paris Saint-Germain’s owners as speculation that he could take a role with the club continues.
Sources told ESPN FC last month that PSG would be interested in having Wenger in a general director role rather than as a coach and both sides have never hidden that they maintain an excellent relationship.
“I have only just finished, so I have not taken a decision,” Wenger told beIN SPORTS when asked about his future. “There has been no contact [with PSG], so, for the moment, I am really staring at a blank page.
“We have always been close, and I even encouraged [ownership] to buy PSG at the time. I thought that with their means, there was something to be created, to do, in a city that loves football. You have that in every country — you cannot have a small team in a capital city.
“They have done well there, they have started the job and I think that we are a little demanding of PSG today.”
Wenger said he believes patience is needed with PSG, both at the club and in the media, after coach Unai Emery was replaced by Thomas Tuchel after consecutive Champions League round-of-16 exits.
“PSG have completed a domestic clean sweep, but somehow it is not enough,” he said. “You cannot build a club with the idea that anything less than Champions League success is bad. Clubs like Real Madrid went 15 or 18 years without it and they still survived.
“PSG need to continue to work towards excellence and should not forget that there is competition today from teams like Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool. In England, there are six clubs who can invest a lot of money. … There will always be the Spanish, German and Italian clubs who will come back, so it is not simple.”
Jonathan Johnson covers PSG and the French national team for ESPN FC. Twitter: @Jon_LeGossip.
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