Arsene Wenger proud of legacy

01-10-2008 09:33

The Arsenal manager thinks the club's next boss must maintain the stylish brand of play he has established.

Reflecting on his 12th anniversary at the club, Wenger said their open attacking play would be his greatest legacy when he eventually leaves.

Referring to last week's 6-0 Carling Cup win against Sheffield United, which saw Arsenal field a team with an average age of 19, he added: "When you go through the whole team you don't see a weak position.

A former Monaco coach, Wenger joined the club in 1996 from Grampus Eight in Japan as a relative unknown and transformed the way its teams played football from a more traditionally defensive approach.

Under his leadership, Arsenal have won a host of trophies and moved from its old ground at Highbury to a new home at the Emirates Stadium.

Though the 59-year-old was looking ahead to a time when he is not manager of Arsenal, he insisted that day may be a long way off.

The Frenchman also said that he only recently realised how deep his affinity was with the country in which he now lives.