After a season of speculation about Arsene Wenger’s future, Arsenal today confirmed that their manager will be staying for at least another two years.
The announcement comes four days after Arsenal beat a dishevelled Chelsea to win the FA Cup. The timing could not have been better for Wenger, who has been vague about his future plans for a while.
Stan Kroenke, the majority owner of Arsenal, believes that Wenger’s new contract is in the best interests of the club’s ambitions:
"Our ambition is to win the Premier League and other major trophies in Europe. It’s what the fans, players, staff, manager and board expect and we won’t rest until that is achieved. Arsene is the best person to help us make that happen. He has a fantastic track record and has our full backing – Arsenal"
Arsenal have been in a lull for many years now and the discontent amongst fans grew during this past season. ‘Wenger In’ versus ‘Wenger Out’ became iconic. In all honesty, fans had the right to demand a change in management.
Arsene Wenger was a great manager and no ‘Wenger Out’ supporter would disagree. But in the last 10 years, Arsenal have seen small success. They have only won three FA Cups. Arsene Wenger may have ensured qualification for the Champions League consistently, but their success in that tournament has not mirrored the potential of the club.
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Arsenal have not seriously competed in Europe for many years – the furthest they have gotten is the semi-finals back in 2009. For the last seven seasons, they have not made it further than the last 16.
As for the Premier League, it has now become a running joke that Arsenal and Arsene Wenger will be happy with a top-four finish only. This season marked the first time in 20 years that they finished outside of the top four.
Arsenal have a lot of issues to deal with. They are not the most unified team and are set to lose key players in the transfer window. Alexis Sanchez, for example, is the subject of many rumours. The squad also lacks depth and leadership on the pitch to compete as strongly as is required in the Premier League and Europe.
Most can agree that Arsene Wenger needs to update his philosophy if he has any chance of managing expectations. His tactics have generally become out-dated and have stagnated the club’s mentality and progression as a whole. The lack of success over the years has brought with it a sense of complacency. The manager has a tough project ahead.
Of course, the divide over Wenger’s future hasn’t helped the current state of Arsenal either, but fans will now need to get behind him. Discontent cannot be the focus anymore. The manager is staying for at least two years; there is no escaping that fact. Wenger himself has sent out a message of unity.
"Let’s be together to support our players, to support the club and all give our absolute best to be at the level that we want to be. We can move up to the next level, I’m convinced of that – Arsenal"
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All Wenger can do now is try to make the necessary changes to transform Arsenal’s ambition and strength. He is clearly trusted by the board and the fans have no choice but to support him, too. One thing is certain: he will now be under intense scrutiny. The future of his club is in his hands.