'I would love to have him back': Mikel Arteta opens the door for Arsene Wenger to return to Arsenal

Mikel Arteta has implored Arsene Wenger to return to Arsenal after the legendary former boss revealed he hadn't stepped foot inside the club since 2018.

Speaking at the book launch of former Arsenal owner and chairman David Dein, Wenger revealed he hadn't been back to the club he managed for 22 years after leaving in 2018.

Asked about whether or not he would welcome back the man who signed him for Arsenal in 2012, Arteta responded unequivocally.

'I would love to [see him back]. I think he has explained it. I think he has every window, every door, in this football club open whenever he is ready.

'Whenever he feels it is the right moment to do it. He knows that from my side, he knows that from many other people at the football club.

'Hopefully that will happen soon because it will inspire and a lot of people would be so happy to see him back.'

Wenger revealed he hadn't been back earlier this week at Dein's book launch, saying that he felt people wanted 'change' after the more-than-two decades the two spent in marriage.

'No, I haven't been there, I think you know after 22 years maybe I arrived at the end of the road and people wanted a change, I can understand,' he revealed.

'I must say I always loyal to the club and turned many many clubs down because I felt like my life was linked with the club.

'The club has chosen a different direction, that I can understand completely and sometimes you need to change completely and have a new start.

'My presence there could have been a problem, so I stay away completely and give the club the chance to rebuild a new connection with the new manager and that's why I never talked about Arsenal, never came back to Arsenal because I didn't want to be a presence that is not maybe not good for the club.'

Wenger currently works for FIFA as their chief of global development and Dein, whose book Calling the Shots: How to Win at Football and Life came came out on Thursday, pointed to this when questioning whether or not the club valued their former boss appropriately.

'He's an Arsenal man, 22 years at the club. Wasn’t his knowledge worth cultivating? Look at where he is now? So he's not good enough for Arsenal, but he is good enough to be head of global development for FIFA, in charge of 211 countries,' Dein told Sportsmail.

'He should have been used by us surely, his knowledge, his skill, his encyclopaedic awareness of players. He's got to be used.'

Meanwhile, Arteta revealed that Emile Smith Rowe was struggling with some complications after sustaining a knock during a warm down following the loss to Manchester United.

'It's been ongoing issue that he's had. He's had some discomfort in the groin area and this is something we are trying to assess and trying to help him in every way possible,' he said.

'He hasn't had any continuity this season because we need him fit, and it's something we are trying to assess, trying to help him with as much as possible in anyway that we can because we need him fit, we need him available and we need him performing at the best level because he's such an important player for us.'

Arsenal travel to Brentford on Sunday with Arteta's side still top of the league.