Wenger: I've been offered the France job many times
The former Arsenal boss says he has been approached by Les Bleus on a number of occasions while he also responded to reports linking him with PSG
Arsene Wenger has revealed that he has been offered the France manager’s job “several times” throughout his career.
The Frenchman has been out of work since departing Arsenal in the summer of 2018, ending his 21-year stint with the north London outfit.
In the months since he has been heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain, with the 69-year-old coach expected to return to the game soon.
Wenger had also been linked with the France job numerous times in recent years, even when he was with the Gunners, and he admitted those links were real but never acted upon.
“Today, I miss the competition and at the same time, I want to spend time with the people I love, and my coaching career has completely absorbed me. Even when I was physically with my loved ones, I was not completely there,” Wenger told Le Parisien.
“I could have become coach of the French team. I have been offered the job several times, but I liked my job more.
“Today, Les Bleus are in very good hands, [Didier] Deschamps is doing a very good job and there is no reason for it to change.”
Wenger did admit that the PSG job is still one that interests him, especially when it comes to the task of helping guide the club past their issues in the Champions League.
PSG fell to Manchester United in the last-16 of this year’s competition, squandering a first leg advantage to fall to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
And Wenger says that while success has eluded the club thus far, they will be able to find a way to make a mark in European competition in the future.
“I do not know if I will come to PSG one day. PSG have a great team, but they have a sort of curse in the Champions League, and they have one last hurdle to overcome, but they will do it one day,” he said.
“We must give them time, but we must recognise that this year there is an exaggerated impatience on the part of supporters.”
Wenger added, though, that there are aspects of management that he does not miss, as he admitted the mental challenges remain gruelling even after all of those years of Arsenal success.
“I managed 1235 games as manager of Arsenal, and was lucky that health allowed me to miss none, but I also imposed a certain lifestyle,” he said.
“I never accepted an invitation within 48 hours of a match, for example, and never after a defeat.
“Twenty years in a row, we finished in the top four of the Premier League
“We remember the titles, great victories, finals won or lost, but the life of a coach is much more complex.”
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