Mikel Arteta hails Arsene Wenger following Premier League Hall of Fame induction | OneFootball

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has praised the club’s legendary boss Arsene Wenger following his induction into the Premier League Hall of Fame.

The 73-year-old joined former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in receiving the accolade.

Wenger spent 22 years managing in England between 1996 and 2018. The Frenchman and Ferguson were fierce rivals, clashing on and off the pitch.

The ex-Arsenal chief won three league titles during his time with the Gunners. He is also the most successful manager in the FA Cup, winning the title seven times.

Wenger led Arsenal to their iconic ‘Invincibles’ title in 2003/04, matching William Sudell who achieved the feat with Preston North End in 1888/89.

The former AS Monaco boss is one of the longest-serving managers in the Premier League. He was in charge for 1,235 games, including 828 Premier League matches.

Arteta sees his former boss as an inspirational figure in English football. The 41-year-old played under Wenger for five years between 2011-2016.

Arteta said (via the Daily Mail): “He opened the Premier League to the world in a different level to what any other manager has done.

“I think he’s going to be forever (remembered). I don’t think there is any other manager that has had more impact.

“Some have brought different ideas, characters and competitions, but he had a vision that was much wider than any other manager had at the time.

“England and the Premier League have to be very grateful forever to this man.

Arteta congratulated Wenger on achieving invincible status and called the manager an inspiration.

“He is inspiring – I think he inspired every player and member of staff he worked with,” Arteta added.

“I think he inspired English football. He took English football to a different level and challenged English football to open doors.”

Arteta will hope to draw some inspiration from Wenger’s success as they head into the final lap of their Premier League title challenge. They are chasing their first league title since 2004.

They lead the league table by eight points, although Manchester City have a game in hand and the two teams still have to face each other in April.