Arsene Wenger says that English clubs have taken on a "different dimension" since his arrival at Arsenal in 1996, and believes that the Premier League is more competitive than ever.
Wenger is now the longest-serving coach in English football's top four tiers as he prepares to take charge of the Gunners for a 20th season, and he says that the game has developed remarkably during his time in North London.
With Arsenal set to face Premier League champions Chelsea in the Community Shield on Sunday following the successful defence of their FA Cup trophy, French coach Wenger agrees with Jose Mourinho's recent claim in an exclusive interview with ESPN FC that the Premier League is now a tougher division.
"I have learnt to love English football," Wenger told Arsenal's official website. "I was always impressed by it [before] but I think I've learnt the culture of the country much better and the culture of Arsenal Football Club.
"There is a mixture in England that is absolutely special. It's this respect for tradition that makes you feel as though the game was created here.
"The Premier League has always moved forward and Arsenal has as well. There's that mixture that is right in England and I hope we can keep that.
"The competitiveness of the league has become much stronger in the last 20 years. The change of structures inside the club has unbelievably changed, and the interest of the media and popularity of the sport has grown so much.
"On the other hand, the clubs have taken a different dimension. When I arrived Arsenal was 80 people. Today it's 537. That tells you how much football has changed and that is tremendous. Hopefully in 20 years we will be 2,500."
Mourinho told ESPN FC on Wednesday that that the Premier League is "very, very hard" due to the amount of money that its member teams are able to spend, and believes that five teams are capable of winning the title next season.