Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger admits he wants to leave the club in a position to 'do even better' as he hints at possible exit

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Arsene Wenger dropped the clearest hint yet that he is planning his Arsenal exit strategy during Thursday's fiery Annual General Meeting.

Wenger launched an impassioned defence of the club's transfer policy and recent Champions League record amid a barrage of uncomfortable questions from disgruntled fans.

And during his address to shareholders, Wenger indicated that he has started thinking about a progression plan for when he leaves the Gunners hotseat.

Arsene Wenger has hinted that he has started thinking about what will happen when he leaves Arsenal

Wenger hopes to leave the club in a strong position so that it can achieve more success with a new manager

The Frenchman's existing deal at the Emirates Stadium expires at the end of next season, though the team's performance until then will play a key role in whether Wenger extends his stay.

But speaking at Thursday's meeting Wenger said: 'I am resolute to commit absolutely everything until the last day of my contract to bring back big success to this club.

'And I want to leave one day in a position where it can do even better when I leave.

'That is for me very important that I leave the club in the shape that the guy who comes after me can do better.'

In the short-term; Wenger is sweating on the availability of Alexis Sanchez, who only returned from international duty on Thursday, for Saturday's clash against Watford.

Sanchez could be rested for next week's crucial Champions League showdown against Bayern Munich.

Wenger is sweating on the fitness of Alexis Sanchez (left), who only returned from Chile duty on Thursday

Mesut Ozil scores in Arsenal's 3-0 win against Manchester United before the international break

And Wenger was forced to defend his European record after one supporter branded the recent Champions League results against Anderlecht, Monaco and Olympiakos as 'embarrassing', before claiming the Frenchman should have been sacked as a consequence.

Chairman Sir Chips Keswick promptly moved to dismiss the supporter's assertion by claiming Wenger remained the man to move the club forward.

But Wenger, with the meeting about to end, unexpectedly responded to the fan's stinging criticism.

'I agree with you, some of the performances have not been good enough,' said Wenger.

'But you have picked three games out of 150 in Europe. I accept you have to be critical when performances are not good.

'But look at the number of games played in the Champions League before me and after I arrived and then come back to me.'

Likewise, the club's transfer policy came under attack from during the meeting.

Olympiacos striker Alfred Finnbogason celebrates after scoring his side's winner against Arsenal last month

Petr Cech was the only senior player to arrive at Arsenal last summer after leaving Chelsea in a £10m deal

The Gunners didn't sign a single outfield player during the summer; goalkeeper Petr Cech the club's only first-team arrival.

And the lack of signings proved a major bone of contention with fans during the meeting, particularly with close to £200m sitting in the club's cash reserves.

But Wenger said: 'We are not scared to spend money - I know I have that reputation.

'We have shown in the last three years if the player has the quality, we spend the money.'

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis added: 'I make no apologies for being in a strong financial position.

'But that doesn't mean spending for the sake of it, we take a talent-led not money-led approach to signings; spending money on players who don't contribute is incredibly damaging.'

Meanwhile, the club were forced to defend a contentious £3million payment to Kroenke Sports Enterprises - the firm owned by majority shareholder Stan Kroenke, who attended Thursday's meeting but remained silent.