Arsene Wenger has given his clearest indication so far that he was forced to leave his job as Arsenal manager.
Wenger recently announced that he would stand down at the end of the season rather than see out the final year of his contract.
Asked at a press conference on Wednesday about the timing of his departure, the Frenchman said: “The timing was not really my decision.”
He added: “Is there a perfect goodbye? I don’t know. I just want to do as well as I can.
“This group of players deserve something special and I want to do it for them, to achieve something with them. My biggest satisfaction would be to be successful with the players we have.”
Thursday’s Europa League match against Atletico Madrid will be the last time Wenger takes charge of Arsenal for a home European tie, but he insisted he has not given much thought to his future.
He did say, though, that retirement was not in his plans.
“At the moment I do my job, keep my routine and focus on what I have to do every day,” said Wenger, who stressed he would have no say in the identity of his successor.
“At the moment I work like ever. You are never sure you do the right thing, but life is interesting because you have to deal with different situations.
“People want to know what the future is about, for me that is completely normal.
“I honestly don’t know what I will do. Will I take a little rest? I will continue to work, that is for sure. At the moment I’m not ready to commit to anything else.”
