SAN FRANCISCO, December 04, (THEWILL) – Former long-term Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has turned down a juicy offer from the Serbian FA to move into international management, THEWILL has learnt.
Since 2018 when he left the North London club, the 71-year-old has stayed away from management at both club and national levels and displayed no hurry to return. He is currently FIFA’s Chief of Global Development, and does well to keep himself in the public eye with strategic and typically charming media appearances.
After losing to Scotland via penalty shootouts that ended their hopes of reaching Euro 2020, Serbia are in the market for a new manager. Current manager Ljubisa Tumbakovic may soon be out of job according to local reports that claim the Serbian FA (the Fudbalski savez Srbije or FSS) have already begun the process of replacing him.
The President of the FSS, Slavisa Kokeza, reportedly approached an intermediary of Wenger about Wenger taking the job, saying money is ‘no problem’.
However, Wenger rejected the offer forthrightly.
The much-respected Frenchman continues to bide his time about returning to management, waiting for the right opportunity. He once joked that he enjoys spending his downtime “watching other managers suffer” and said that watching football from afar has helped him find a new appreciation of the game.
“I relax by watching other managers suffer and think ‘It’s your turn my friend’. But by watching football as well, you know, I love it so much. And it’s easier for me when I watch other games to take a distance.
“Why does this player make this decision? What are the major mistakes they make? And I enjoy it because football is always unpredictable.
“It’s not like theatre – you go every night to the theatre – it starts the same and finishes the same. Go every night to a football game – it’s always different.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
