Arsene Wenger needs ‘more respect’ from his time at Arsenal, according to former player Theo Walcott.However, the legendary Gunners boss was unable to overcome a mindset amongst his squad which stopped them winning major titles.Wenger won 17 trophies during his 22-year tenure as Arsenal managerPAWenger was appointed manager in October 1996, five years on from Arsenal’s most recent league title triumph at the time.The then little-known Frenchman had an immediate impact, winning a league and cup double in his first full season.Across almost 22 years in charge, Wenger won a total of 17 trophies including three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups.He also oversaw the club’s historic ‘Invincibles’ triumph during the 2003/04 season.However, Wenger’s reign also saw Arsenal endure a nine-year trophy drought between 2005 and 2014.The Gunners also failed to win any European silverware, losing their only Champions League final appearance to Barcelona in 2006.Walcott joined Andy Goldstein and Darren Bent on Thursday’s Drive to discuss Wenger’s Arsenal legacy 30 years on from his arrival in north London.The former England international was signed by Wenger as a 16-year-old in January 2006 and spent 12 years playing under him.Arsenal players had ‘block’, says WalcottAlthough he won the FA Cup three times with Arsenal, Walcott believes the side had a ‘block’ when it came to competing for major honours like the Premier League and Champions League.The Gunners only finished higher than third once whilst he was at the club.Arsenal won the race against big clubs in the Premier League to land WalcottGettyAsked why Arsenal did not win the Champions League under Wenger and if they could now, he admitted: “I don’t know what it was, but it was like a block and I think there was a mindset in the players that we were happy just getting in the top four.“I genuinely felt like that at the stage and it felt like we were probably second best when it came to Liverpool and (Manchester) United.“We’re talking about United from that era, they were the best team I’ve ever played against, best players I’ve ever played against.“So we were competing, finishing fourth, but at times wasn’t good enough for a lot of people on the outside.“However, on the inside, and the manager as well, it was good enough for him at the time when we’re actually going through a change at the stadium as well and you think about teams when they move on, different stadiums, the knock-on effect it creates.“Leaving Highbury, all the history and the memories, that’s tough for players to that next best thing, but I felt we coped and we did well with everything that was going on in the background.Walcott admits Arsenal and Wenger’s mindset played a role in the club’s lack of major titlesGetty“So we’re very proud of everything that we’ve done and achieved, but it’s just one of those.“I do feel like this team’s got it, though, I feel like this team can do it, they can play that other side of it as well which we couldn’t do.”Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal won their first league title for 22 years last season as well as reaching the Champions League final.However, they were ultimately beaten on penalties by Paris Saint-Germain back in May.Should Wenger have left Arsenal sooner?During his time at the club, Walcott scored 108 goals and added 70 assists in 395 appearances under Wenger.He would depart for Everton in January 2018 during Wenger’s final season at the helm.Walcott spent 12 years with the Gunners, winning three FA Cups during that timeAFPWalcott now admits the previous campaign would have provided a better opportunity for the manager’s departure, though.The 37-year-old added: “When I look at my whole career with him, being there for 12 years, and Arsene, he was there for maybe too long in the end.“However, I feel that when you’re at that level for that long, when people aren’t expecting much from you straight away and then all of a sudden you bring success so quickly, now they’re expecting a lot from you every season.“He was doing that and he was continuing to do that. I do feel like he needs more respect in that sense and it was quite toxic towards the end.“Then I look at it and I always feel how you want anything to end isn’t the way it’s going to go. Anyone’s career can end in football, it doesn’t quite go how it’s planned to some extent.“So I felt maybe when he won the FA Cup, that was a great time to just think ‘right, let’s move on’. Maybe he was just waiting for the right time, the right person to come along.”Wenger opted to stay in charge for another season after winning the FA Cup in 2017GettyWenger won his seventh and final FA Cup in 2017, but saw his side finish fifth in the Premier League.It represented their lowest position of his tenure to that point as they failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 19 years.The following campaign would see Arsenal slip to sixth as fan support for Wenger shifted to calls for him to leave the club.He would ultimately leave at the end of the campaign, with the Gunners board opting to end his contract in the summer of 2018.