Three Premier League titles, one invincible league season and seven FA Cups were achieved in that time period, as well as near misses in the Champions League. The end of his era at the Emirates Stadium came in circumstances that may not have reflected the success he found earlier on.
There had been a growing discontent as Arsenal fell into a state of decline on the playing side, with results starting to dry up over many seasons. Missing out on the Champions League became a regular occurrence and with it found a club that was looking for its identity again.
Wenger left in 2018 and things have hardly been easy for the fanbase since then as the reign of his successor, Unai Emery, failed to live up to the heights. The north London outfit looked elsewhere and landed Mikel Arteta, a former player that had impressed as Pep Guardiola's right-hand man at Manchester City.
There was still that feeling of discontent for a few of the early seasons under the Spaniard, but slowly those standards he had set to greater match those successful days were having an impact. The academy was well represented on the field and transfer decisions were smarter.
All of a sudden, the team looked far more comparable to that of Wenger's early days at the club all these years later as they continue to push for the Premier League title. The impact of their former boss was found to be respected once more as he finally made his return to the Emirates Stadium last season.
It was the first time in years that the Frenchman had returned to the club, with Arteta insistent that he would have a role if he wanted it. A statue outside the ground has also commemorated the achievements of Wenger and with some time to reflect, those could be properly appreciated.It's something that summer signing Rice has discussed and seen the impact of in just his first few months with the Gunners. He told BeinSports: "He's [Wenger] spoken about all the time. If you look at managers of other clubs in the past that have left, they maybe don't quite have that legacy or the same way they're spoken about. With Arsene, every player you speak to, he's like a god to them.
"When I met him for the first time, I was a bit star-struck in a way like 'wow that's Arsene Wenger' in terms of the stories you hear from players, the way he used to coach and way he used to have his teams playing. It was an honour to meet him, shame I couldn't play under him but it was great to meet him in the end and hopefully many more times to come."
While there will be a time for this current squad to replicate the successes of those that came before them, there is now the time to finally reflect on the impact of those that laid the foundations for the club in the modern era.
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