Arsène Wenger has indicated he will wait a few more weeks before deciding on his future but admitted he is enjoying his spare time since leaving Arsenal at the end of last season.
Wenger, who stepped down in May after almost 22 years in charge, had initially expected to make a decision after the World Cup. But having worked as a pundit in Russia for beIN Sports, the Frenchman now intends to take a little longer to make up his mind as he takes an extended holiday in Corsica.
“I decided not to decide,” he told local newspaper Corse Matin. “I was intoxicated for such a long time that I promised myself not to make any decisions before September. [It’s going] even better than I thought. When you have been as busy as I have been, you always fear a little emptiness.
“But I quickly organised myself in this new stage of my life, I do a lot of sport, here I eat with my friends. I talk a lot too, I can sit for hours contemplating the horizon, I read every day, right now a book by Philip Roth called I Married a Communist.”
Wenger also confirmed that Thierry Henry is keen on succeeding Gus Poyet as Bordeaux manager after the Uruguayan was suspended last week.
“Yes, he wants to do it, he is intelligent and he has the qualities,” said Wenger. “The existential question that we always ask ourselves is whether we are ready to sacrifice our life for the coaching profession.”
Wenger has been linked with various posts since leaving Arsenal but has yet to make a firm decision whether he will seek another post as a manager. Now 68, he rejected the possibility of taking up another profession such as archeology or a career in politics.
“For archeology, I do not know enough about soil compositions. Nor politics. What I like about the job of a manager is that we have theories, but on Saturdays we have to show that they work and the result is immediate. In politics, between theory and proof by demonstration, things take a lot longer.”
Wenger will travel to Liberia this week to receive the west African country’s highest honour for his role in the development of the football career of president George Weah. Another of Weah’s coaches in his formative years, Claude Le Roy, is also to be awarded the country’s highest honour, the government said on Monday.
“They will be honoured by the government of Liberia on August 24, National Flag Day for their role in President George Weah’s footballing career,” a spokesman said. “Both coaches will be awarded the honour at an investiture ceremony in Monrovia.”