Wojciech Szczesny was involved in the notorious 'smoking incident' after the game against Southampton in January 2015.
The Poland international, now at Juventus, has opened up on what happened between him and Wenger and the consequences of his behaviour.
"Back at that time I was smoking regularly and the boss knew it very well," the former Arsenal goalie told the Arsenal Nation podcast as cited by the club's official website. "He just didn't want anybody smoking in the dressing rooms and I knew that also.
"Because of the emotion of the game, I had a cigarette after the game when the team was still in. I went in the corner of the showers, so it was at the other end of the dressing room and nobody could see me, and I lit one up.
"Somebody saw me, it wasn't even the boss himself, and just reported it back to the boss. I saw him a couple of days later, he asked me if that was true and I said, 'Yes'. He fined me and that was the end of it.
"He then said, 'Look, you're going to be out of the team for a little bit' but there was no big bust-ups or big confrontations. I was very professional about it.
"I was fully expecting to be back in the team a few weeks later but we had a good run of form and David Ospina, who came in goal, played really well for those few games. He stayed in.
"That meant I was waiting and trying to win my place back in the team, or trying to convince him that I was still the best goalkeeper at the club by going out on loan. That sounds strange but sometimes it's the best way of doing it."
Wojciech ended up at Juve and has been one of the best keepers in Europe:
The incident took place on January 1, 2015 after the 2-0 defeat against Southampton. The Pole, who had been a first option in the team, was benched in the following games with David Ospina taking his place.
Szczesny left Arsenal after that season, joining AS Roma on loan. He turned into one of the best goalkeepers in Europe at Stadio Olimpico.
In 2017, the shot-stopper moved to Juventus and has been a first option for the Bianconeri since the beginning of the 2018-19 campaign.
The 30-year-old is now considered one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the world, leading Arsenal fans to miss him and question Wenger's decision to let him join Roma in 2015.
Do you think Arsenal should not have let Szczesny go?
