Arsenal will unveil a statue of Arsene Wenger outside the Emirates Stadium next month, according to reports on social media.
On Tuesday night, The Football Gerbil broke the news that Arsenal are set to unveil a statue of Arsene Wenger on the concourse surrounding the Emirates Stadium prior to the new season.
The Football Gerbil has previously broken stories relating to Arsenal such as the sacking of Raul Sanllehi, and details of Arsenal’s pre-season and Premier League fixtures before they were officially announced.
Later on Tuesday night, Connor Humm confirmed that Arsene Wenger is set to receive a statue, to be unveiled on Thursday, August 3rd.
On Wednesday, Amy Lawrence of The Athletic confirmed that Wenger will have a statue at the Emirates, and it will be revealed digitally.
Wenger will then attend a private ceremony with family, friends and players from the Invincibles to celebrate it.
If that date is correct, the statue would be revealed between Arsenal’s pre-season fixtures against AS Monaco and Manchester City.
Arsenal play Monaco in the Emirates Cup on Wednesday, August 2nd, before travelling to Wembley later that week to face City on Sunday, August 6th.
In many ways, it makes sense for the statue to be unveiled around that time, as that allows it to be before the season begins but after Arsenal return from their tour of the USA.
But it’s unfortunate the statue won’t be in place for the Monaco game, as any fans who don’t pass the Emirates regularly will have to wait until the next home match against Nottingham Forest on August 12th to get a look at it.
There’s no doubt that Wenger is a worthy recipient of a statue, after winning 10 major trophies and seven Community Shields with Arsenal.
The manager also helped to guide the team through a period of transition, moving from Highbury to the Emirates, and his spell will always be most fondly remembered for the Invincibles – the unbeaten title-winning team of 2003/04.
As of yet, there are no details on what the statue will look like, but it’s now less than a month before the general public will get their first viewing.