Ian Wright hints Arsenal held Arsene Wenger back before exit - "He is an artist"

Ian Wright hinted that Arsene Wenger was held back by Arsenal within a fitting tribute to the legendary Gunners boss towards the end of his 22-year tenure.

Eyebrows were certainly raised when the unknown figure of Wenger - then manager of J League outfit Nagoya Grampus Eight - was appointed as Arsenal manager in 1996, but the aspiring Frenchman soon silenced the sceptics. The newly-appointed Gunners gaffer swiftly made his mark on English football, reshaping the game with a pioneering philosophy which saw seismic changes to the quality and style of football being played in north London as well as innovative ideas on the health and nutrition front.

A string of successes followed, including two league and cup doubles and that 'Invincibles' season, as Arsenal established themselves as one English football's elite during the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, the feeling from most of an Arsenal persuasion was that Wenger overstayed his welcome as things began to take a turn towards the end.

The final years of the Frenchman's iconic 22-year tenure at Arsenal was somewhat tainted by an underlying sense of animosity and in-fighting among fans, as 'Wenger Out' protests and the occasional message via aeroplane engulfed the Emirates. With many feeling the game had moved on and left the once revolutionary Wenger behind, the calls keep on coming to see the Arsenal legend ousted.

The euphoria that Wenger's instigated by the exciting brand of attacking football he once introduced to those on the Highbury terraces had been replaced by vitriol and furious fans squabbling over the team's fortunes online. The Frenchman himself remained an unaffected, unwavering figure throughout it all as the general consensus in the years and months