Wenger to extend Arsenal contract: The case for and against

Arsenal demand spending spree if Arsene Wenger wants to stay

22 March

Arsene Wenger has been ordered to start spending some of Arsenal's vast cash reserves if he wants to extend his reign at the club, according to The Sun.

The paper claims that "Gunners chiefs" want the famously parsimonious Frenchman to embark on the "biggest spending spree of his career" and splash out on a host of big-name stars this summer.

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The report is vague about where the order has come from and contains no quotes from a club sources. However, the paper insists that Wenger has £159m to spend and adds: "Emirates chiefs are increasingly frustrated by the manager's stubbornness and have demanded he reinvigorates his underperforming squad. That could put them on a collision course with the Frenchman, who refuses to be dictated to by anyone over new signings."

But the Daily Star says that unless Wenger does spend big, then he will not be given the opportunity to extend his contract beyond the end of next season.

Arsenal expect him to recruit players of the calibre and profile of Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gonzalo Higuain, Toni Kroos and John Stones.

The order comes days after another product of the Gunners' youth system emerged as a first team star. Alex Iwobi, who has been at Arsenal since he was a child, scored his first Premier League goal and put in an impressive all-round performance against Everton on Saturday.

Other reports have linked the manager's position with possible replacements. Talk that Jose Mourinho was in the frame to take over has been dismissed as absurd, but Metro believes Roberto Mancini, who splashed out on players including Yay Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero while in charge of Manchester City, is being considered.

Arsene Wenger risks conflict as he rounds on Arsenal critics

21 March

Arsenal's return to winning ways against Everton on Saturday should have been a cause for celebration, but the fault lines running through the club were once again evident as vocal fans demanded change at the top and manager Arsene Wenger responded angrily.

Speaking after the match, the under-pressure boss said he was fed up with being forced to play in a "sceptical environment". He also singled out the Gunners' comeback against Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month, when Arsenal recovered from 2-1 down after having a man sent off to salvage a point, obviously feeling his team deserved more credit.

"I couldn't understand why – at the moment when you need everyone behind the team – we had to hit that storm. From the media, OK. From our fans? It is a bit more difficult to take," he said

Despite the 2-0 victory on Saturday that preserves the Gunners' faint title hopes, Wenger appears "more vulnerable" than ever before, says David Maddock in the Daily Mirror. "It is surprising to hear any manager question his own supporters, but Wenger? Almost inconceivable."

Wenger insisted he could handle the criticism he has been facing, but "his tone screamed hurt and pain", he adds.

The manager's comments also risk inflaming passions still more, says Richard Jolly of The Guardian. "If the first shots were the loudest, in the form of a chorus from the visiting fans, the principal Gunner returned fire with interest, pleading for peace yet risking escalating the conflict," he argues.

"It was a call for unity, even if the rival camps' positions seem more entrenched. Supporters are disenchanted... and the club's establishment feel their arguments betray an ingratitude."

Perhaps Wenger would have been better advised to let the football do the talking. "The speed and sophistication of Arsenal on this form demonstrates that there is still no more able coach in England at preserving a love affair between ball and turf," says Chris Bascombe of the Daily Telegraph.

He also warns the anti-Wenger brigade that it would "be naive to presume a domestic or European rival would not beg him to spend his twilight years in management elsewhere".

And if the love affair with Arsenal turns sour, it could have dire consequences.

"He would transform any side he coached and while Arsenal began the unenviable task of finding another visionary – good luck with that – he'd threaten their habitual and presumptuous top four status if he turned up elsewhere."

Arsene Wenger: What do the stats say about Arsenal boss?

18 March

Beleaguered Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, reeling from FA Cup and Champions League defeats, has admitted the Gunners' hopes of finishing in the top four of the league could now be in doubt.

Arsenal have never finished outside the top four under his management and if that record comes to an end this season, it will surely bring the curtain down on his 20-year reign in north London.

But, speaking ahead of the tricky-looking visit to Everton on Saturday, Wenger admitted he was now looking down the table as well as up.

"I believe the Premier League is far from over," he said, insisting that his side were not out of the title race, before adding: "We also have to look behind us because things can change very quickly... I’m conscious that our position is not secure.

"We need to look over our shoulders because it's very tight."

The Gunners head to Goodison Park having won only one of their last eight in all competitions and with only two wins in nine league matches stretching back to mid-January, notes The Guardian.

But as debate rages over the future of the manager, analyst Mike L Goodman points out that although Wenger is still outperforming many of his peers, his team is underperforming.

Arsenal lead the league in several areas, he says, including "expected goals per game", a key metric based on the quality of the chances they create.

However, they have scored fewer goals than their stats would predict. The issue, then, is whether Wenger is to blame for his players' mistakes in the box.

"Wenger has largely put his players in the positions they need to be to succeed and those players have let him down," says Goodman.

Does that absolve him of blame? "It's not Wenger's fault that his players ended up not hitting the net for depressingly long stretches of the season. But it is at least partially his fault that they didn't build a squad that might have won the title this season," he says.

"But it's also impossible to ignore that things that don't seem to be Arsene Wenger's fault happen every season."

Arsene Wenger: Time to go, say Arsenal greats Ian Wright and Lee Dixon

17 March

Another disciple of Arsene Wenger has turned on him in the wake of Arsenal's exit from Europe at the hands of Barcelona.

While the Gunners did not disgrace themselves against Barcelona, they still lost 3-1 to bring down the curtain on their Champions League show and end their hopes of silverware this season.

The fans are in open revolt against the manager, the likes of Thierry Henry and Emmanuel Petit have been critical and now former striker Ian Wright has also twisted the knife.

Talking on BT Sport after the game, Wright said it was time for Wenger to leave, especially if the team finish below Spurs for the first time in 21 years.

"I think the natives have turned and there's more there who want the boss out than want him in," he said. "I'm not sure if he will still be there in the summer, if they don't win the league. It's a very tough one for me, but I think change is a-coming.

"At some stage it's got to happen and I think something's got to happen this season," he added

Over on ITV, Wright's former Arsenal team-mate, Lee Dixon, concurred. "I played under him and I am a big fan of his but I think there needs to be a change," he said.

But it was his former adversary, one-time Manchester United star Roy Keane, who was most scathing, accusing Arsenal of "cheating" the supporters and lacking courage.

"There seems to be a weakness running through the whole club," he added.

Saturday's game against Everton could be pivotal, writes John Cross in the Daily Mirror, and if Arsenal lose, it could be the end.

"There's always a reason or an excuse and it doesn't really wash anymore," he writes. "Some fans - a growing number - are desperate for change. It's too late and that mood will be overwhelming if Arsenal can't turn around their league form very quickly."

Defeat to Everton would create an even more "toxic" atmosphere at the Emirates that could signal the end of an era.

Arsene Wenger: Arsenal boss comes out fighting as pressure grows

16 March

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has launched what The Times describes as a "defiant response to fans who have questioned his future", as more former players join the calls for him to step down.

Insisting that he remains as motivated as ever, he declared: "I built the club and I did it with hard work. I had no external resources. If you compare the club when I arrived and how it is today it has moved forward and without any help from anybody.

"I don't question my dedication; it is 100 per cent and I give more time to my club than when I arrived.”

Speaking on the eve of what could be a chastening night for his side as they prepare to face Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the Champions League, Wenger's comments come against an "inescapable backdrop", says the Daily Telegraph. "Wenger is facing more scepticism than at any time since he arrived at Arsenal in 1996."

Even his old players are turning on him, with former midfielder Emmanuel Petit joining the chorus of criticism.

"If you want to win a trophy then you need great leaders and great warriors on the pitch. Mentally I think they are not strong enough," he said.

"This was the perfect year for Arsenal to win the Premier League and they've missed it. That's it, and Arsene is quite responsible for that as well."

Talking to Sky Sports, Petit suggested that Wenger should step aside and take an advisory role at the club.

Meanwhile, former England player Trevor Steven has claimed Wenger has only four games to save his career. Writing in City AM, he says: "There is simply not enough power in the team, not enough dirty work being done, so they lose when they shouldn't. And there is no getting away from the fact that responsibility has to rest with Arsene Wenger.

"Barca is a write-off, but Arsenal need seven points from Everton, Watford and West Ham to stay in the title race.

"If Wenger can't achieve that then the board has two choices: demand that he adds more steel in the summer, or, with a heavy heart, call time after 20 seasons in charge and say goodbye."

Arsenal civil war could consign Arsene Wenger to history

15 March

Civil war is brewing at the Emirates with fans deeply divided over the future of manager Arsene Wenger as the wheels come off Arsenal's season.

For the 12th season in a row Arsenal look set to miss out on the Premier League title. Despite winning the Community Shield in August, defeat to Watford in the FA Cup on Sunday means the Gunners are likely to end the season without major silverware for the ninth time in 11 years.

So what does the future hold for Wenger? It is still up to him, says the Daily Telegraph, but discontent in the stands is becoming a big issue at the club.

Wenger is aware of the problem and his "decision will be increasingly shaped by whether he feels that he can again inspire a positive atmosphere inside the Emirates Stadium".

The mood among fans has "turned sharply" over the past three weeks and the manager is "concerned that the players' confidence is being affected by the subsequent outpouring of tension and disunity".

There were scuffles between Arsenal fans after defeat to Watford as tensions boiled over and there is a growing school of thought that Wenger is nearing the end of his tenure. The longer he holds on the more acrimonious the final days of his regime will be.

"Arsene is not Arsenal," says Henry Winter of The Times. "He is a glorious part of a history stretching back to the Victorian era, providing some rich stitches in the tapestry of an illustrious club.

"It is nonsense that Arsenal cannot survive without Wenger," he adds and says it could be time to move on. The Frenchman is a "fading force" and the situation among the fans is becoming "hazardous".

The same failings that have undermined the Gunners for a decade have scuppered their title chances again this season, and Wenger has proved that he is not the man to address them, says Alan Smith in the Telegraph.

"After so long in charge, I doubt he is capable of changing his ways. Quite probably, this is how it will be until he leaves," he warns.