Arsene Wenger says he WILL be managing next season, whether at Arsenal or elsewhere

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Arsene Wenger will remain in football management next season — even if he walks away from Arsenal.

Sportsmail revealed on Friday that senior figures at the Emirates are convinced Wenger will call time on his 21-year reign at the end of the season.

Speculation is intensifying over his future after Arsenal’s 5-1 humiliation in the first leg of the Champions League tie at Bayern Munich on Wednesday night. The Gunners are also 10 points behind Chelsea in the title race. 

Arsene Wenger says he will be managing next season - even if he leaves Arsenal in the summer

Wenger's contract with the north London club runs out at the end of the season

Wenger said: ‘No matter what happens, I will manage next season, whether it’s here or somewhere else. That’s absolutely for sure. On a night like that (in Munich), of course I hate defeat and I hate to lose games. I want to do extremely well for this club and I feel a big responsibility.

‘It is difficult to take, but I have the strength and experience to respond. It all went wrong for us after half-time. I think we looked quite defensively solid in the first half. We lost Laurent Koscielny in the second half and after that we lost our structure and our organisation. We were a bit naive for the goals we conceded. At 3-1 I felt we were mentally affected by the result and much more vulnerable.’

Wenger woke up on Friday to reports that he is set to quit in the summer but declined to offer clarity on those suggestions.

At the club’s London Colney training base, however, the Frenchman appeared measured and thoughtful while addressing the media. 

The 67-year-old watched his side lose 5-1 in the Champions League against Bayern Munich

The Arsenal manager came out swinging, warning fans to be careful what they wish for, launching an impassioned defence of his record in European competitions — despite heading for a seventh consecutive Champions League last 16 exit — and claiming there is no guarantee of success if a new boss comes in.

‘Even if I go, Arsenal will not win every single game in the future,’ Wenger said. ‘If you look at the history of Arsenal, Arsenal had less Champions League games when I arrived than I had in my career already. Since then we have done a few, so I hope in the future we can win this trophy, or Arsenal can win this trophy, but it is not like I arrived and Arsenal had already won the European Cup five times. They played maybe 10 games in the history of the club.

‘On the other hand, in the last 20 years in Europe only three clubs have managed to play every year in the Champions league — Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.’

Wenger clarified that he had opportunities to move to other clubs during his time at Arsenal

In fact, Arsenal have the second-best streak of qualifying for the tournament, having reached at least the group stages for the last 19 seasons. Only Real Madrid, who have qualified in each of the last 20 seasons, have a superior record.

Wenger also dismissed any suggestion that speculation over his future may be contributing to his team’s poor form.

‘The real problems are the way we play football and not my future. The priority is how we respond to a defeat. It’s always important not to look for the wrong excuses,’ he said.

Wenger’s side head to Sutton on Monday evening in the fifth round of the FA Cup. They will be without Koscielny, who on Friday had medical tests on the thigh injury he suffered in Munich.