Wenger: Gallas could've left

Arsène Wenger admits William Gallas could have left Arsenal after being stripped of the captaincy last season.

The former Chelsea defender suffered a dip in form in the latter half of 2008 and was rumoured to be heading for the exit door following some bust-ups with team-mates.

But the Gunners boss is delighted with the Frenchman's form this season and is keen to offer his former skipper a new contract.

"At some stage I considered Gallas might leave," said Wenger. "But he has learnt that being appreciated is important. Credit to him, as he had the right attitude and regained his appetite for the club.

"Maybe it suits him not to be captain. He wanted to do well as a captain, but what you respect in these situations is how well he responded when he was not captain anymore."

"William does the job fantastically well. I have a big respect for what he has done. I will meet his agents this month about a new contract."

Wenger admitted that he could even break his over-30 rule to keep Gallas at the club.

"Unfortunately, the rule here is to offer only one more year because of his age. Certainly, for a striker after 32 you can only give a year. For a defender, we'll see."

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