Arsene Wenger on Arsenal exit - 'I'm like a guy who plays Russian roulette every week and suddenly has no gun anymore'

Arsene Wenger is keeping his options open ahead of his impending Arsenal exit, but admits a year off may be too long considering the 'Russian roulette' thrill of management.

Wenger will step down as Arsenal boss at the end of the season after nearly 22 years in charge of the north London club, but has confirmed that he intends to try and stay in club management.

Since taking over at Nancy in 1984, Wenger’s longest spell out of the game has been the two months between being sacked as Monaco manager and taking over at Japanese side Nagoya Grampus.

As such he plans to take a brief pause when he finally ends what could be the Premier League’s last great reign, though the managerial 'gap year' that the likes of Pep Guardiola and Thomas Tuchel have taken does not appeal to him.

"I had no break for 35 years," Wenger said. "In our job you can look around, that doesn’t exist.

"I don’t know how addicted I am.

"I’m a bit like a guy who plays Russian roulette every week and suddenly has no gun anymore.

"I will see how much I miss that gun.

"A year off? It’s a long time, 365 days. I don’t know.

"I will leave myself a little bit open to decide what I want to do with my life."