Former Arsenal defender Nigel Winterburn has said that Arsene Wenger's "obsession" with restoring the club to their former glories may have led to regrets for the Frenchman.

Wenger revealed earlier this week that staying with the Gunners for 22 years may have been a mistake, claiming that he had been a "prisoner of my own challenge" during his time at the club.

The 68-year-old won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and reached the final of the Champions League during his first decade at the club, but Winterburn believes that it was the challenge of leading Arsenal to the top of English football again following their move to the Emirates Stadium which caused him to stay on for so long.

"He had a burning desire in his first period, from 1996 to 2006 - I can't see any player or supporter not being in awe of what Arsene Wenger was doing," Winterburn told PA.

"After that, when we moved to the new stadium, he had this obsession of trying to get Arsenal back to where he believed they should be and maybe he is talking about that period.

"In his own mind he felt he was still capable of producing the teams that would go on and bring titles back. There were almost two different periods for Arsene Wenger and it was certainly a different period when he came into the new stadium."

Wenger won just three FA Cups during his final 12 years with Arsenal, eventually leaving the club at the end of last season.