'The best seven months of my career weren't at Arsenal - despite me being a legend there'

Arsenal icon Ian Wright once revealed that the best seven months of his entire playing career actually came while he was at Burnley. This Saturday, Premier League front-runners Arsenal head north to Turf Moor for a 3pm kick-off against Scott Parker's side.

Under the guidance of Mikel Arteta, the Gunners are widely expected to secure another victory and preserve their four-point advantage at the summit of the table against newly-promoted Burnley. Watching on with particular interest will be club legend Wright.

The ex-forward made 288 appearances for Arsenal and was once their all-time top scorer, finding the net 185 times. Following a distinguished playing career that also featured spells at Crystal Palace, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Celtic, Wright has remained closely tied to Arsenal as a passionate and outspoken figure in football media.

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However, many fans might not recall that his final professional games came in a Burnley shirt. The veteran striker joined the Clarets in February 2000 under manager Stan Ternent and played a key role in helping the club earn promotion from the old Second Division, scoring four goals in 15 matches before retiring from football.

Although that modest total paled in comparison to his prolific days at Highbury, Wright has often said that his short time at Burnley made a deep impact on him, especially after two difficult years drifting between clubs following his Arsenal exit.

He continues to hold the Lancashire side in high regard and has often spoken fondly of how they helped him end his 15-year playing journey on a positive note, even describing it as the "best" spell of his career.

Reflecting on that chapter during the last year, the 61-year-old said: "I went to West Ham, Nottingham Forest on loan and then Celtic, but it was when I got to Burnley with Stan Ternent, who also did some great things for me at [Crystal] Palace.

"He was the first coach that used to really sit me down, he used to draw it out what runs you're supposed to make, why you have to hold the ball here, when you have to be the target and all this sort of stuff and he said 'I know it's not gone too well at Celtic, but I've got a good bunch of lads here and I think we can do it'."

Offering a heartfelt reflection on his time at Turf Moor, Wright continued: "I went in there and it was the best six or seven months of my career.

"It went full circle for me because all of a sudden you're back down to getting changed in not great changing rooms and it was really hardcore. It felt like it brought me back to Sunday League, it was proper football.

"But the thing with it was, the players and the camaraderie of that for me [was the perfect way] to end [my career]. The way it was going, I had four clubs in one season, but by the time I finished we got promoted.

"This is why I've got such a nice vibe with Burnley. They gave me something at the end."