Arsene Wenger Insists Exit Comments Were Misinterpreted But Won't Rule Out End of Season Departure

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has acknowledged that it is possible he could leave the club before the end of his current contract - due to expire in 2019 - as he will review his position with the Gunners board come May as he normally does at the end of each season.

Wenger had made comments about such an end of season review at last month's Arsenal 'Annual General Meeting', which some wrongly interpreted as an admittance that club officials are seriously thinking about parting company with the Frenchman 12 months early.

But the 68-year-old three-time Premier League winner has insisted that his words were taken out of context and that nothing out of the ordinary is happening.

"I said I'll sit down with the board at every 'end of the season' and see where we go from there, so that's not exactly the same [as what people interpreted]," he told beIN SPORTS.

"Sometimes you say a sentence and people turn it the way they would like to go.

"I have a two-year contract and will always try to go to the end of my contract, but will always have the honesty to sit down with the board and see where we go from there."

From winning the FA Cup last season, but finishing 5th in the Premier League, Arsenal have endured a mixed start to the new 2017/18 campaign.

The Gunners have already secured safe passage into the knockout rounds of the Europa League with two games of the group stage to spare, but are struggling to keep pace with the title contenders on a domestic front after losing four of their opening 11 games.

Arsenal are 12 points off leaders Manchester City already and sit level on points with Burnley.