Arsene Wenger reveals timing of Arsenal exit 'not really his decision'

Wenger also admitted that it was natural to have doubts about whether it was right decision

Arsene Wenger will leave Arsenal after 22 years this summer (Action Images via Reuters)

Arsene Wenger has admitted that the "timing" of his stepping down as Arsenal manager, as announced last Friday morning, was “not really my decision”.

Both Ivan Gazidis on last Friday evening and Wenger himself on Sunday have ducked questions about exactly whose decision it was for Wenger to announce his resignation on last Friday morning, and the discussions that led up to it.

But Wenger was asked at his press conference this afternoon why he was leaving this summer, not at the end of his contract next summer. “The timing was not really my decision,” he said, “and for the rest I have spoken about it already.”

Reflecting on the decision publicly for the second time since it was announced, Wenger admitted that it was natural to have doubts about whether it was right decision.

“Look, you’re never sure you do the right thing,” he said. “But life is interesting because you have to deal with different kinds of situations. Until now, I had a life that was full of different experiences. Some were very difficult to deal with, but I always did it.” Wenger revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson, who retired from the Manchester United job five years ago, called him yesterday.

Wenger made clear again that he will want to keep working in football when he leaves Arsenal, although he did not know yet in what capacity that would be.

“Honestly, I don’t know what I will do,” Wenger admitted. “Will I take a little rest? I will continue to work, that’s for sure. My pride has always been to give my best to where I’m employed until the last day of my contract. At the moment I’m just focused on that.”

Tomorrow Wenger will play his penultimate home game as Arsenal manager, the Europa League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid. Given that reaching a Europa League final in Lyon, for his final ever game, would be the perfect farewell, Wenger admitted that losing to Atletico over two legs, and ending his tenure on 13 May would be an anti-climax. It would also mean Arsenal not being in the Champions League next season.

“Yes, that is part of it,” Wenger said when asked if it would be an anti-climax. “It will not take away from the fact that people will realise what I said many times: that to qualify for [the Champions League] 20 consecutive years is not as easy as it looked at one stage. It would really feel like an anti-climax of course. That’s why we want to give our absolute all to have a chance of going to the final.”

Whatever happens in the final few games of this season, Wenger said that he believes this Arsenal team is only “two or three additions” away from competing for the Premier League title under their new manager. Even though they currently sit in sixth in the Premier League table.

“This team has quality,” he said. “Two years ago we finished second in the league, last year we made 75 points and won the FA Cup. We won the Community Shield, we were in the League Cup final, we are in the semi-final of the Europa League. So these players have quality and I am convinced that hopefully we can show that again before the end of the season. I am convinced in the future, with two or three additions, this team has the quality to fight for the title.”