Arsène Wenger sent a letter to an 103-year-old fan who is so taken with the Arsenal boss that she calls herself his girlfriend.

Margaret Welby has a portrait of Wenger on her wall, and the Mirror report that this week she received a letter from the Arsenal boss. Wenger wrote to her: “On behalf of all the players and staff, may I take this opportunity to send our congratulations and good wishes on the occasion of your 103rd birthday!

“We understand that you are a loyal Arsenal supporter for which we are very grateful. We do hope that you will enjoy this special day and wish you all the very best for the future from everyone here at Arsenal Football Club.”

Margaret told the Grimsby Telegraph: “It is wonderful. It has got my name on it. I’m a big Arsenal fan.

“One or two of the workmen here saw the photo and asked if it is Arsene Wenger. I told them ‘yes, I’m his girlfriend’. They said I should be with him for the money but I’m doing all right without.”

As always, it’s a nice touch for Arsenal and Arsène Wenger to get in contact with fans who have been following the Gunners all their lives. Following the team, watching the games on TV and attending matches all cost a lot of time and money, so it’s nice to see supporters get something small back for their investment.

Margaret is definitely one of those fans who has invested a lot to watch her team, as the Mirror report that she’s been to Wembley nine times to watch FA Cup finals. No doubt many of those finals came with Wenger as the Arsenal manager, since he’s now the competition’s most successful manager ever, with seven wins.

Wenger was celebrating a birthday of his own on Sunday, although he still has another 35 years to catch up with Margaret. So potentially he may need to send a few more birthday cards as Arsenal manager before he eventually leaves the Gunners.