Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger splits from wife Annie after months of speculation

The couple split after months of speculation that their relationship was on the rocks

ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger has split from his wife Annie after five years of marriage.

 

They have not been happy for a while, and they decided this was the best course of action to take

A source

The pair parted ways after months of speculation that their relationship was on the rocks.

Gunners manager Wenger and Annie - a former basketball player - got a Paris judge to issue a "separation of bodies" judgement in June.

A source said: "They have divided up their assets and agreed a financial package to separate.

"They have not been happy for a while, and they decided this was the best course of action to take."

 

Wenger and Annie, 59, married in 2010 after a long-term relationship and have an 18-year-old daughter Leah.

It's not clear whether they are still living together at their North London mansion near Arsenal's training ground.

The agreement means they are free to see other people but it stops short of a full divorce.

The 65-year-old manager is still expected to support Annie financially.

 

Arsene and Annie married in 2010 after a long-term relationship

A French legal expert said the agreement means "couple are not legally obliged to live together, and they can have separate lives".

They said: "He will have to still keep his responsibilities to look after the family. If the judgment is not overturned within two years, a divorce will be automatically granted.

"This is something not often done anymore, often Catholic families use this as they are reluctant to get a divorce, but legally there is little difference."

The Frenchman has managed Arsenal since 1996 and enjoyed a fruitful decade in English football - with many crediting him with revolutionising the game.

 

He received an OBE with his wife by his side in 2003.

In 2008 he confessed the job was a strain on his family life after Arsenal endured nine year wait to win a piece of silverware - which was only ended when they scooped the FA cup in 2014.

Last year he was booed by a group of Arsenal fans waiting for their team at Stoke-on-Trent train station in retaliation to a 3-2 loss.

The fans positioned themselves on the platform as the players were boarding the train back to London.

When Wenger appeared they began to boo - with one shouting "get out of my club" and other telling the manager to "Fuck off".