Arsene Wenger has insisted he was never tempted to leave Arsenal and accept an offer to become Manchester United manager.
The former Old Trafford chairman revealed last month that Wenger had been his first choice to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson in 2001, when the Scottish manager had announced his intention to retire.
Edwards said that he and United chief executive Peter Kenyon had held “a couple of meetings” with Wenger but the Frenchman’s loyalty had forced them to look elsewhere.
Ultimately they would not need to make a decision as Ferguson reversed his decision to retire, reigning for a further 12 years and winning 11 more major trophies.
The Arsenal manager, speaking after his side’s convincing 3-0 win over Bournemouth at the Emirates, did not deny that conversations had taken place between himself and the United hierarchy.
However, the 67-year-old insisted his infatuation with Arsenal meant his response to Manchester United was the same as it has been for Real Madrid and Paris Saint Germain during his 21-year reign in North London.
“I am always very confidential,” Wenger said. “Maybe one day I will reveal all the contacts [over switching jobs] I had during my stay at Arsenal. It would make a few chapters. You should ask Martin Edwards.
“I was always happy here. Were the people happy with me? I don’t know.”
Recent years have brought growing discord between Arsenal fans and their manager, with some turning to against Wenger during the early months of 2017.
Wenger has not shied in reminding his critics that he could have left during the hard times – recently revealing that he had had to commit his future for the club to secure bank loans to finance the Emirates Stadium.
Why did he stay loyal despite the offers from elsewhere? "Because I love the values of this club. For me the club is about values first," he continued.
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“One day it would be a good chat to have with the press to look at the evolution. It would be very interesting to look at Manchester United over the last 20 years. A lot has changed.
“But when I came here this club was about values that I love in sport. That’s why I’m still in the competition.
“So I always question myself. Yes of course Manchester United is attractive. But am I happy here? The answer was yes.”