Former Arsenal star Ian Wright has suggested Arsene Wenger was forced to announce his decision to leave the club.
The Gunners released a statement on Friday in which Wenger stated his intention to step down at the end of the season, despite having a year remaining on his contract.
The Frenchman has resisted repeated calls for him to resign from disgruntled sections of the club s fanbase in recent years, Wenger ignoring their dissatisfaction to sign a two-year extension in May 2017.
And Wright, who won the Premier League title under Wenger in 1997-98, suspects the 68-year-old s hand has been forced amid concerns about the team s form behind the scenes at Emirates Stadium.
Arsene Wenger is a man of principle, honesty and integrity – that is why I am convinced he has been sacked and not resigned, he wrote in a column for The Sun.
For all the vitriol and abuse thrown at him, Arsene has never been a man to walk out before the end of a contract.
It is a sad situation that it s come to this and I don t suppose we will ever find out who is responsible, because they will hide behind each other.
One day he is doing a press conference with no hint of this, the next he s gone. It doesn t add up.
But Arsene can go with his head high. That s why, whatever the results, it is imperative he gets the send-off a true Arsenal and football legend deserves. We all owe him so much.
