Former Arsenal defender Monreal was interviewed recently and talked about Wenger.
Wenger ended his 22-year coaching career at Arsenal in 2018. At that time, the team failed to qualify for the Champions League for the second consecutive season, triggering violent protests against him by Arsenal fans.
Monreal said: "Wenger's departure from the club is of course a sad moment for us because I know he was in a lot of pain at the time. There was a period of time before he was sacked where there was a huge division among the fans, which was just crazy."
“As a player, I can vividly remember having ‘Wenger out’ banners on one side of the stadium and ‘Wenger stays’ banners on the other side. It was a difficult time for me as a player, especially in a place where I felt like I was supposed to be a big player. It was a family club, but the fans were completely divided."
"I remember seeing Wenger at the training base. He was in great pain. He had lost weight. You know, he was already very thin, but one day when I saw him, I obviously noticed that he had lost weight again. It even got to the point where he couldn't enjoy it when we won, because the atmosphere in the whole club was so bad."
"So when the situation got to this point, we players knew that there would be an official announcement soon. Temporarily, even though we had expected it, everyone was caught off guard by the idea that the club was going to change so much. We were talking about a guy who had the power to make decisions about almost everything in the club, so it was going to be a complete reset."
"He was the one who signed players, negotiated contracts, planned pre-season, he did everything... Yes, he had a few assistants, but in the end it was all driven by him. "Of course, the challenges facing the club are more severe since then, but I always think that I have given my all to the team. I know that I am not the best player in the team, and I know my role and position... I want to believe that I am a very stable player, even in difficult times. So when the top stars in the team may perform well in some games, but are silent at other times, I think my performance has always maintained a stable level."