Arsenal will not be bringing Arsene Wenger back to the club.

Speaking in November, Mikel Arteta admitted he would like to see Arsene Wenger back at the club.

“I would like him to be more present at the club,” Arteta said. “I think the players would love him, benefit, and be inspired to have him around and I think for the club it would be a huge boost.

“It was so intense for him for over 20 years and you need to get away a little bit, but I think it would be so beneficial for all parties to have him more present.

“If it was not for him I would not be in the position I am today and I wouldn’t have enjoyed the career I had.”

After talks, however, the Evening Standard are reporting that Arsenal have decided not to bring Wenger back, or the former manager has decided not to come back due to his current commitments.

It’s not quite clear.

Speaking at the recent Arsenal Fans’ Forum, Vinai Venkatesham was asked if there had been any more movement on this issue since November.

From the minutes of the meeting: “Vinai responded that there is nothing but love and admiration for Arsene from the club.

“He is always welcome here, but of course with his new role at FIFA he is in Zurich, and travelling, much of the time.

“There are no plans for a formal role. He believes Mikel was responding to media asking if he would like him to be around which of course we would.”

After spending the best part of 22 years with Arsenal as their manager, Arsène Wenger has taken a hands-off approach to the club since leaving.

Wenger isn’t involved in the day-to-day activities, and he hasn’t taken up a position on the board. More notably, he hasn’t even returned to watch games from the stands, and at one point he stated he doesn’t intend to.

You can understand why Wenger would want a clean break. After so long at Arsenal, he probably needed it to be able to move onto his next job. He might also believe it’s better for Arsenal not to have him as a distraction as they try to take their next step.