Wenger to extend Arsenal contract: The case for and against

Arsene Wenger: End is nigh after Bayern Munich battering

16 February

The end is nigh for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, after his side were humiliated 5-1 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League last night.

In the wake of another damaging defeat, the knives are well and truly out for the veteran boss.

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"This was not a game, this was an endgame," says Henry Winter in The Times, who warns that Arsenal are "sleepwalking to the abyss under Wenger".

If he does not leave this summer, adds the journalist, his achievements and legacy "will be tarnished for ever".

Winter puts the blame for another abject capitulation well and truly on Wenger's shoulders and says he cannot continue past the end of the season.

"[He] has built a squad with too few leaders, which is too soft, too naive and too easily swept aside," he writes. "Where was the defiance when the tide turned? The old Invincibles would have fought back. Not the new Invisibles. They disappeared without trace in the second half."

"As Bayern Munich tore the team he built to shreds over 45 excruciating second-half minutes on Wednesday night, it became a clear probability that this would be [Wenger's] 21st and last season at Arsenal," says Jeremy Wilson of the Daily Telegraph.

His conclusion is not based on the manager's demeanour after the match - "he always seems to turn almost visibly grey and sick-looking in defeat" - but on an analysis of Arsenal's progress since 2014, when Wenger last signed a contract extension.

There have been marquee signings in recent years, with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez and Petr Cech arriving at the Emirates, but the jigsaw remains incomplete.

"No major player has left. There is money in the bank and yet still the team has remained prone to the same sort of humiliating defeats against the very best opposition," says Wilson.

"There is no need for excessive rage – and there can be little certainly of an improvement under a new manager - but the sense of deja-vu in the manner of Arsenal's defeats against the very best has become damning. There has been a clear ceiling on performances and, as Arsenal left Munich on Wednesday night, there was an unmistakeable sense that change is both necessary and now coming."

Defeat to Bayern has brought the future "a lot closer", says Barney Ronay of The Guardian. "It is almost impossible... to see how Wenger can take this team to a higher level, just as it is impossible to argue there is not another manager out there who could build more successfully on the stable foundations he will leave."

The only question now, he says, is who will replace Wenger and when they will take over.

Craig Hope of the Daily Mail says that "in a few years' time perhaps we will say they should never have got rid of Wenger - but Arsenal at least have to try.

"This cannot continue. It is all painfully predictable and has been for far too long."

All but one of the Mail's football writers call for Wenger to announce his departure – and even the dissenting voice, Matt Lawton, falls short of calling for Wenger to stay.

"Let’s at least judge him in May, not February," he says.

Arsenal draw up shortlist of managers to replace Wenger

10 February

Doubts over Arsene Wenger's long-term future at Arsenal have intensified after reports the club has drawn up a four-man shortlist of managers who could replace him.

Thomas Tuchel of Borussia Dortmund, Max Allegri of Juventus, Bayer Leverkusen coach Roger Schmidt and Monaco’s Leonardo Jardim are in the frame to succeed the Frenchman, reports John Cross of the Daily Mirror.

"There is a growing concern Wenger could decide to walk away when his current £8m-a-year contract expires at the end of this season," says Cross.

However, there is "still a very strong possibility Wenger will stay on": there is a new two-year contract on the table and Cross says it will be up to Wenger whether he signs it.

"The board still passionately support Wenger. With no suggestion that they are looking to axe him, so the decision will be his."

At the more kneejerk end of the spectrum, Paul Merson of Sky Sports is not so sure, hinting that defeat to Hull on Saturday could prompt Arsenal to take action.

"If they lose this game I don’t see how he can keep his job," he says. "It would be that toxic that I couldn’t see him staying."

Both Hull and the Champions League match against Bayern Munich on Wednesday could have a "major bearing" on his future, agrees the Daily Telegraph, although the paper is more measured in its assessment of the situation.

"Sources close to the Frenchman were only a fortnight ago convinced he would sign the two-year extension," it says. "But, following back-to-back defeats by Watford and Chelsea, the tone has changed dramatically and there are now real doubts over whether Wenger will stay on.

"Barring a remarkable turnaround in fortunes, it is now expected Wenger will leave it until the end of the season to make a final decision on his future. That leaves open the very real prospect that Wenger will walk away if Arsenal finish outside the top four or the voices calling for him to go get louder."

Wenger's refusal to declare his intentions has left players and coaching staff in the dark, adds the paper: "While no approaches to rival managers have been made, the club are having to seriously weigh up possible replacements."

Wenger tells Arsenal fans to be more like Spurs supporters

9 February

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has risked even more unrest from irate fans by urging them to follow the lead of their bitter rivals Spurs.

His gutsy gambit comes after back-to-back defeats ended the Gunners' title hopes and ahead of another round of games in three competitions that could determine his and the club's future.

Arsenal face Hull on Saturday before travelling to Germany for their Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich. They then face Sutton in the FA Cup the following Monday.

Ruminating on the losses to Watford and Chelsea in recent weeks, Wenger said: "We need to respond and get our fans behind the team because this is an important and very sensitive part of the season and we have to respond to disappointment together.

"We are in a fight, we absolutely have to be united or we have no chance," he added. "You have Tottenham Hotspur - everyone is in the fight and everyone is behind their team. We have to do exactly the same, even if we had two disappointing results."

Invoking the spirit of the fans Arsenal followers love to hate may not go down well with some and could be taken as proof of how divorced from reality Wenger has become.

Metro says he has "risked the ire" of his own supporters, adding: "A growing section of the club’s fanbase is hoping to see a managerial change in the summer, with Wenger looking almost certain to preside over another season of relative mediocrity."

Wenger presided over a team meeting following the defeat at Chelsea, reports Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, but although he "needs a big reaction" from his players, he "did not rant and rave in a bid to save the club’s season".

There have been claims that the manager has allowed his players to go soft, that all is not well in the dressing room and that uncertainty reigns at the Emirates.

"Wenger’s future has become a subject of huge debate, but Arsenal’s players and coaching staff have been left completely in the dark over his intentions or what the club expect to happen," reports Law.

He adds that there is a new contract on the table, "but Wenger wants to judge the mood around Arsenal and be sure that the majority of the fans still want him before committing himself for another two years".

Arsenal believe a run of wins will lift the mood, especially if they can get past Bayern Munich. But "any slip up against Hull or bad defeat in Germany... will see calls for Wenger’s head get louder and debate continue over who should replace him", says Law.

Under fire Wenger could quit Arsenal for PSG in the summer

22 December

It could be third time lucky for Paris Saint-Germain in their pursuit of Arsene Wenger, reports The Sun, with the paper claiming that the French champions are plotting another attempt to lure the Frenchman to Paris.

The Qatari-backed PSG have tried twice in the past five years to entice Wenger back across the Channel but the 67-year-old has refused, preferring instead to remain at Arsenal, the club he joined more than 20 years ago.

But according to the Sun this time PSG "are confident they can finally land the Arsenal boss" after they heard whispers that he has decided the time has come "to swap London for Paris".

Wenger's current £8m-a-year deal with the Gunners expires in June, and while there have been rumours in recent days suggesting he was poised to extend his stay at the Emirates by a further two years, the Sun claims that he "has yet to open negotiations over his next contract".

What may be stalling the Frenchman is the growing discontent among the fans, an annual event in recent years as Arsenal's early promise fades in the winter. Last season there was feuding between fans as a growing number of Gooners called for Wenger to step down and the first bars of the chorus of disapproval have been heard in the past week following back to back defeats at Everton and Manchester City.

While many fans believe Wenger has taken the club as far as he can, the man himself has never given any indication that he thinks he's run out of ideas, but a lucrative offer from PSG could turn his head. The Sun claims that PSG are "prepared to hand him an annual deal worth £10m as well as underwrite a substantial spending spree".

Paris Saint-Germain parted company with Laurent Blanc in the summer despite the fact they won the French title by 31 points. But new coach Unai Emery has overseen a disastrous first half of the season with PSG finishing second behind the Gunners in their Champions League pool while they are third in Ligue 1, five points behind leaders Nice.

A 5-0 win on Wednesday night against bottom-placed Lorient is unlikely to save Emery and the French press believe that he'll be sacked in February when, as expected, they lose to Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League. An interim coach would be appointed to see out the season before Wenger takes over the reins in the summer.

Wenger has recently spoken of his relationship with Sheikh bin Khelaifi, PSG's owner, and said of the French capital "Paris is a city I love in the country I love."

Arsenal title hopes in tatters, but Wenger 'agrees new deal'

21 December

After a nine-day meltdown that has seen Arsenal go from Premier League leaders to also-rans in the title race and nine points behind rivals Chelsea, rumours are growing that manager Arsene Wenger is to sign a new deal.

Wenger is said to be planning his summer transfer activity despite his side's chances of winning a first title in 13 years appearing to have gone up in smoke following back-to-back defeats. Reports claim he has Valencia full-back Jose Gaya in his sights.

"It is a deal which is being lined up for next summer and Arsenal insiders firmly believe that is an indication that Wenger is looking to the future himself," says the Daily Mirror.

Although there have been "no assurances" over his future, "Wenger is likely to get a new two-year contract", says the paper, adding: "All the indications are that [Arsenal] are not in the market for a new manager. They are also planning for pre-season - a trip to Australia is already scheduled and they are likely to stop off in Asia on the way home."

Arsenal bloggers certainly believe a new deal is imminent. Myles Palmer at Arsenal News Review goes as far as to claim that "Wenger and the club have agreed a new two-year contract" and the board was notified of the fact three weeks ago.

The unconfirmed report claims an announcement will be held back until results improve and Palmer admits it is unclear whether the deal has been signed.

However, there could be more clues to Wenger's future from Spain. Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has been tipped to take over at the Emirates but he is under contract until 2018 - and Metro reports that one of his key lieutenants, midfielder Koke, "has warned interested parties... that the Argentine boss will see out his contract in the Spanish capital".

That raises the possibility that Wenger will remain in charge for at least one more season, something likely to cause more discord among fans who are already split over his merits.