Arsene Wenger has spoken for the first time about life after Arsenal, declaring the Europa League final in Baku “a nightmare” for his former club’s fans, and condemning the circumstances in which Henrikh Mkhitaryan finds himself unable to play.

In a wide-ranging interview to accompany his investment in a football technology company, the 69-year-old spoke extensively about the past 12 months away from the game, and how he had been able to reconnect with his family having “neglected” them over 40 years in coaching. The Frenchman said that he remained a fan of his former club, who play Chelsea in the final in Azerbaijan on Wednesday, and that he still planned to take another job in football.

Wenger said that he had agreed to 10 pundit appearances for the Qatari network beIN Sports but had made it a condition not to comment on Arsenal because of his 22-year association with the club. “I watch them like a fan,” he said. “I don’t judge. I’m happy when they win and not happy when they don’t play well. But after that I try to really take a distance with it.”

He will not be in Baku for the final and said that for the supporters it was “a little bit of a nightmare”. Both clubs have been unable to sell out their ticket allocation because of Baku’s inaccessibility and Arsenal have publicly criticised the decision to award the city the final.