Arsenal news: Arsene Wenger admits that Arsenal has begun to affect his health

Arsene Wenger admitted that the pressure of being director of Arsenal had had detrimental consequences for his health during the last year of his reign.

The Frenchman was responsible to Arsenal for 22 years before finally being inaugurated last summer.

Wenger, who has won the Premier League three times as boss of Arsenal, has stepped aside and has been replaced by Unai Emery.

At age 69, he has not yet resumed work, but revealed that the stress of managing Arsenal was starting to have negative effects on his health.

"In life, you choose certain divisions and others are imposed on you," said Wenger at an event in France.

"In this case, it was a mix of both, because at some point, fans need a change, and in my last year it was difficult.

"So it was both a break and a relief for me, because taking on this responsibility for so long, with all the obligations that come with it, is exhausting you.

"It's extraordinarily difficult. And last year, I felt that I was beginning to pay the price for health. "

Emery has struggled to make major improvements to Arsenal since his replacement of Wenger, but enjoys strong support from the board of directors and the club hierarchy.

And Arsenal are now in pole position to qualify for the Champions League after Manchester United was defeated by the Wolves on Tuesday night.

Winning a spot in the Champions League would give Emery a major boost and greatly increase his transfer for the summer.