Wenger nearly quit Arsenal this summer for personal reasons

Arsene manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he came close to leaving Arsenal this season and cited personal reasons behind his hesitation.

The Frenchman ended up signing a new two-year deal with Arsenal at the end of May but there were real doubts whether Wenger would stay on for this season.

Wenger has been Arsenal manager since 1996 and the 67-year-old has revealed he came close to walking away from the Gunners for good this summer.

“Yes, I hesitated to extend for personal reasons,” he told Telefoot, via The Daily Telegraph. “I have been at Arsenal for 20 years, and I’m wondering if I should continue to lead the club. We went quite badly during the season.”

Arsenal have been underachieving for years and the animosity between the squad and the fans has been bubbling in recent seasons.

Their 4-0 defeat to Liverpool before the international break only attracted more criticism from supporters and their poor start to the season does not make for good reading.

Arsenal haven’t won the Premier League since 2003/04 and last season finished outside the top four for the first time under Wenger.