Arsene Wenger Reportedly Won't Return as Arsenal Manager After '16-17 Season

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is expected to step down when his contract runs out at the end of the season.

Gunners officials had expected Wenger to sign a new deal, but Wednesday night's 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League is thought to have convinced the Frenchman that now is the time to walk away, according to John Cross of the Daily Mirror.

Wenger has been in charge of Arsenal since 1996, but Cross has indicated he is now ready to "make a clean break from the club." The report also noted the 67-year-old won't assume a role on the Arsenal board.

It would mean a complete severing of ties between the Gunners and their most successful manager.

Cross has indicated Arsenal's decision-makers have been preparing for the possibility Wenger will walk away: "They have already made discreet enquiries about potential replacements, and unless Wenger has a remarkable change of heart he will walk away when his £8 million-a-year contract expires this summer."

The major names among those replacements include Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri and AS Monaco head coach Leonardo Jardim.

Significantly, Cross also indicated Wenger will not influence the club's search for a replacement: "The board’s high regard for Wenger means they will tap into his knowledge, but he will not be asked to nominate his successor."

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Allegri and Jardim are two highly touted names, but it would still take a special manager to replace the man who has won three Premier League titles and six FA Cups at Arsenal.

However, two of those cups are the only trophies Wenger has to show for his efforts since 2005, and Cross pointed out how the manager's future continues to divide the club's frustrated supporters: "The manager’s position has become so divisive, mass fighting broke out between Arsenal fans in the Allianz Arena after the final whistle."

As BBC Sport's David Ornstein detailed, the Arsenal board and Wenger will come to a mutual decision:

There is a growing belief Wenger won't sign the two-year deal that's been put in front of him, according to Squawka's Greg Stobart: "Wenger is understood to have spoken to Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis on Thursday, and the 67-year-old was assured that the club have no intention of withdrawing their offer of a two-year contract extension worth £16m."

A change may ultimately be best for both Arsenal and Wenger, especially as animosity from the stands has grown over the manager's inability to capture a fourth league title or win in Europe.

Choosing to walk away could be an indicator that while Wenger may quit the Gunners, he might not be ready to give up on management just yet. He's still highly regarded in the game and would surely have his pick of enticing jobs.