Arsene Wenger has explained how Arsenal 'lost their soul' after leaving Highbury for the Emirates Stadium in 2006.
The Gunners have struggled to replicate the success that they had in their previous home, having not won the Premier League since 2004 and lifting just three FA Cups since the move.
On top of that, many feel that the club has changed significantly in the last 14 years, almost being unrecognisable to the side that they used to follow, and the ownership of Stan Kroenke has continued to be criticised.
For Wenger though, the reasons why Arsenal lost their soul when they left Highbury were unavoidable and were something nobody could do anything about.
“Through all my career, when you arrived to drive down to Highbury, that was always a special moment,” he told BeIN Sports.
“Highbury is linked with love, love for the period I had there, love for the exceptional attitude of the fans, the special football games I witnessed there, it’s a special place in my heart. There was 40 people there, now there’s more like 400, you knew everyone.
“We have moved from a business family to a big company now and, of course, Highbury was linked with the business family. The supporters were very close, when you kicked a corner you can shake the hands of a supporter, and it gave a togetherness, a warm feeling that was unique.
“You’re always in a position with a football club where you ask whether to move forward or to stay in the past, we had to go through a period were we moved stadiums. The rules were changed, we wanted to create a stadium with the same feeling of Highbury but we left our soul because we could never replicate that.
“The distance from the pitch to the stands had to be bigger for ambulances to come in, all that kind of thing, so we didn’t find exactly the same atmosphere.”
