LONDON — Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere is to leave the English club after 17 years, having been told he would face a diminished role under new coach Unai Emery.

The 26-year-old Wilshere had previously accepted a reduced-terms deal to extend his contract which expires at the end of June. However, he said discussions with Emery convinced him he had "little choice" but to leave for "footballing reasons."

Wilshere and his agent had been negotiating his midfielder's future with the club for several months but the meeting with Emery, appointed as Arsene Wenger's successor in late May, proved the turning point.