Resigned? No. Wenger was ‘sacked’ and ‘given £9m pay-off’

Matt Stead

The decision for Arsene Wenger to leave Arsenal at the end of the season was neither mutual, nor made by the manager himself.

It was announced on Friday that Wenger was stepping down from his post after 22 years at the helm in north London.

A number of managers have been linked with replacing him, with Luis Enrique the latest on Saturday.

Wenger was believed to have resigned – although some said he was simply jumping before he was pushed.

But the Daily Mail have shed further light on the situation, claiming that Wenger has in actual fact been ‘sacked’ with one year remaining on his deal.

Sami Mokbel and James Dutton claim that the Frenchman has been paid £9million to leave this summer, and that ‘he was forced out under pressure from the US owners’.

Wenger has ‘lost the support’ of majority shareholder Stan Kroenke, and while the manager stated on Friday that “it is the right time for me to step down”, the decision was never his.

Indeed, Wenger ‘had no intention of leaving the club’, meaning this was Arsenal’s choice and they will have to ‘pay off the final year of his salary in full’.

Ian Wright right?! Right…