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Arsene Wenger Says Staying at Arsenal for 22 Years Was His 'Biggest Mistake'

Arsene Wenger has opened up after his departure from Arsenal.
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Arsene Wenger has admitted that staying at Arsenal for more than two decades may be his 'biggest mistake', as he begins to deal with life away from north London. 

In a lengthy interview with RTL, translated by football.london, the Frenchman spoke at length about a number of topics inside and outside of football, but one of his early comments was also possibly one of the most revealing. 

Asked if he could pick his biggest mistake, he laughed: "Perhaps staying at the same club for 22 years. I'm someone who likes to move around a lot, but I also like a challenge. I've been a prisoner of my own challenge at times."

The 68-year-old also explained why the Gunners' unbeaten season in 2003/04 meant so much to him, saying: "[The best coach is] someone who manages to get the most out of his squad. From a collective expression point of view and in terms of results.

"The best coach in the league isn't necessarily the one who wins the title. No. But nobody can measure this. You can't. You can't measure a coach because you can't measure if he's managed to reach the full potential of the squad. That's why my ultimate ambition was to win a league title unbeaten. Because even if someone beats me at that, they can't do it that much better."

Outside of football, Wenger was also asked who, if possible, he could spend an evening with - answering: "An evening of conversation? Or...philosophising? I'd like to spend an evening with Moses. What did he think of the ten commandments? Effectively our first constitution – I find it well constructed, what did he think?"