Arsene Wenger hints his Arsenal job will be under review at the end of the season

Arsene Wenger has insisted he wants to see out his current two-year deal at Arsenal but hinted his position could be reviewed at the end of the season.

Speaking at a stormy Annual General Meeting on Thursday morning, the 68-year-old addressed the room with typical passion and defiance urging supporters to get behind the team while also reiterating his desire to succeed.

“I must tell you, my hunger, my commitment is bigger than ever,” he said. “But I accept that of course when you have been at the club a long time, everybody questions that. I question myself a lot, don’t worry, to be better every single day. And I will sit down every year with my board to see where I go from there.”

Wenger’s speech usually assuages the anger in the room from supporters but this year’s meeting ended with boos and slow handclapping as chairman Sir Chips Keswick struggled to field questions from the floor amid heckling from disgruntled shareholders who felt their views were being ignored.

The Arsenal manager stayed to sign autographs before conducting a pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League home game against Swansea.

And asked by Standard Sport to clarify whether there would be an end-of-season review into his tenure, Wenger replied: “That means I am 21 years at the club and I want to feel that I do well, and see what the board thinks of my performance. After that we decide where we go from there. But of course my desire has always been to respect my contracts, but that is what I meant.”

Arsenal Supporters’ Trust spokesman Tim Payton claimed confidence has been lost in the Arsenal board, adding that “Arsenal are now owned by an overseas investor who sees money rather than passion and trophies” after an AGM which ranks among the most volatile of recent years.

Wenger leapt to the defence of Keswick, adding: “It was not meant to be dismissive at all, it’s just that the chairman presents the board and answers the questions, that’s the rule that is set before the meeting starts.

“Look, everybody has their own judgement, I am concerned about the pre-match press conference for Swansea, not so much to assess the quality of the AGM.

“You want everybody to support the club, I believe it’s difficult for me to come out on that, I think all of us have the same target [which] is to make Arsenal successful and that’s basically what I have to say.