Wenger to extend Arsenal contract: The case for and against
Critics point to a long-term decline at the Emirates, but manager still believes his side are on the cusp of great things
Kroenke keen for Wenger to stay on as Arsenal manager
25 October
Arsenal majority owner Stan Kroenke has given his strongest hint yet that he wants Arsene Wenger to remain as club manager, highlighting the problems Manchester United have faced since the retirement of Alex Ferguson.
The American attended Arsenal's AGM on Monday, when Wenger was presented with a framed montage of all the 210 players who have played for him during his 20 years in charge of the Gunners, and Kroenke paid a warm tribute to the Frenchman: "One of the main reasons we got involved is the values and traditions of the club and no one has represented them better than Arsene," he declared. "You [Wenger] brought a new style to English football and our club. Amid a world subject to great scrutiny and pressure, you have always handled yourself with great class. We are excited about the club and season. We know we will compete for trophies and we would like nothing better than to see you win the championship."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Speaking after the AGM, Kroenke intimated that Wenger would be asked to continue, telling reporters: "He's a great manager. He's been a wonderful influence on the club. I know a number of owners who are very successful who say the same thing: the hardest thing to do is be consistently competitive at the top of the league. Arsene has always done that and Arsenal has always been in that position. We have always been competitive.
"We may not always win the things we want to win. We are very focused on winning for sure the league. Arsene's been consistently at the top and I will tell you; it's very, very hard to do if you look around sports."
Despite the praise from Kroenke, Arsenal chairman Sir Chips Keswick refused to confirm whether the club will extend Wenger's contract when it expires at the end of the season. "We will sit down and discuss Arsene's future at the appropriate time," said Keswick.
But the outlook seems good for the pro-Wenger brigade. "Kroenkes admiration for Wenger was obvious, and the goodwill on the top table gave no indication that anyone at board level has any desire to see a change of manager any time soon," says The Guardian.
Funniest, thought-provoking editorial cartoons, delivered each weekday
However, Wenger's future may not be resolved until next summer. "As he did in 2014, Wenger intends to wait until the end of the season before deciding his future. He has indicated that he would like to stay but that his decision will rest on whether he senses that the fans also want him and an assessment of his own performance," says the Daily Telegraph.
Wenger was also present at the AGM and understandably given Arsenal's position in both the Champions League and the Premier League, he was in bullish mood. "We are in a much more competitive position than five or six years ago to fight for the championship," he told shareholders. "I believe we have a squad that is more mature and better equipped."
Arsene Wenger 'refuses' to let Jose Mourinho sit next to him
9 September
Jose Mourinho will be preoccupied by his rivalry with Pep Guardiola this weekend when Manchester United face Manchester City for the first time since the two men were installed as managers of the clubs.
But Guardiola is not the only coach to have fallen out with the Portuguese manager. According to press reports in Spain, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger "refused" to let Mourinho sit next to him at a recent conference.
The schoolyard incident took place at a Uefa conference in Nyon on transfer deadline day, says the Spanish paper Marca.
It claims that Mourinho "was all smiles" ahead of an introductory address by Alex Ferguson, but as "the last to enter the room" was forced to look for an empty seat. Having found one near current Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane, the Special One asked if he could sit down.
At this point, claims the paper, Wenger, who was sitting nearby leaned forward and told Mourinho "No, it isn't possible", forcing him to look elsewhere.
"Some delegates laughed discreetly while others stared into space pretending they had not heard a thing," says the paper.
It is not the first time the two managers have "stooped to such pettiness in a rivalry that is now well into its second decade", says the Daily Telegraph. There have been touchline spats, ties have been flicked, insults hurled and apologies demanded over the years.
"Any hope that the two might have matured in their more senior years seems to have been dashed, and reconciliation is unlikely if Wenger cannot even bear to have Mourinho in the chair next to him."
It appears that the "mind games have already begun" ahead of United's clash with Arsenal on 19 November, says the Telegraph.
Mourinho is unbeaten in competitive games against Wenger, although Arsenal did beat Chelsea in last season's Community Shield.
Thierry Henry quits Arsenal over Arsene Wenger TV ultimatum
09 September
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has left the club's coaching staff after refusing to give up his role as a TV pundit, prompting claims that Arsene Wenger did not want his former star player undermining him during the final year of his contract.
Henry "was offered a job coaching Arsenal's Under-18s by head of the academy Andries Jonker, only to be personally overruled by Wenger", reports Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph.
The manager insisted the role be full time and could not be combined with the Frenchman's work as a Sky Sports pundit, to which he will return next season, after a stint with the BBC during Euro 2016, adds the paper.
Henry's offers to work with the under-18s for free or take up a role with the club's strikers were both rejected.
"While senior figures inside the Emirates were happy for Henry to stay and continue his education at Arsenal, a final decision was left down to Wenger," adds the Telegraph. "Sources around Arsenal believe Wenger does not want anybody at the club’s London Colney training ground who may be prepared to challenge him or be seen as a possible threat to his position in the future."
Henry angered Wenger with comments about Olivier Giroud and the Arsenal fans last season, reports the Daily Mirror, which adds that his exit will "prove unpopular with fans who have already seen former captains Mikel Arteta and Patrick Vieira move to Manchester City to take up coaching roles".
The paper suggests Henry could follow their lead - and that of other stars including Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars - by offering his services to a different club and continue working for his coaching badges.
However, the London Evening Standard says the split is "amicable" and that Henry will still be welcome to attend training sessions as he continues his coaching career.
"Henry is believed to earn in the region of £4m-a-year at Sky but Wenger was concerned at the obvious issues raised by the club’s all-time record goalscorer criticising Arsenal players in public only to then subsequently mix with them at their London Colney training base," adds the paper.
It also reports that the role initially offered to Henry will now be handed to another former Arsenal legend, Tony Adams.
"Henry’s departure has raised question marks about Wenger’s willingness to work with some of his former stars but Adams' arrival combined with Freddie Ljungberg’s return in a coaching capacity with the Under 15s and Under 16s is an extension of his record in giving former players a chance to extend their careers," says the Standard.
Arsene Wenger 'may extend' Arsenal stay, says Ivan Gazidis
3 June
Arsenal chairman Ivan Gazidis has hinted that Arsene Wenger will remain in charge at the Emirates beyond next season, stating that the manager will not be leaving "imminently".
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, the Gunners chief said plans for a succession would not be left until "the last minute" and appeared to suggest that there was a new contract offer on the table.
"I'm comfortable both that if Arsene is going to extend, we will know that and if, whenever that is, he is going to come to an end, that he will give us the time that we need to prepare for that transition," he said.
Wenger's contract expires at the end of next season and it had been widely assumed that he would step down, having led the club for more than 20 years.
His presence at the Emirates is becoming a bone of contention among fans, with a small but vocal minority calling for him to stand down after 12 seasons without a league title.
Some fans are concerned that Wenger has become bulletproof, which has led to stagnation at the club.
Gazidis insisted that was not the case: "The reason we have Arsene as our manager is because our board believes he can deliver success," he said. "The reason that Arsene is here is because he believes that he can deliver success. If either of us didn't believe that, we would not be constrained by nostalgia or longing; we would have to make a change."
But he also admitted he was not sure about Wenger's long-term plans.
"He’s in his mid-sixties, it's natural to think about when his time here might come to an end, but the truth is nobody knows," Gazidis told the paper.
"He is in fantastic shape. He is deeply engaged and excited. One of the biggest challenges we will face is the transition, whenever it happens, but that is not something we are going to be facing imminently. Obviously, he is going to be managing us next year and we are planning and making many decisions for the long term."
One of the major gripes among fans is a lack of transfer activity, but the manager could be prepared to buck the trend this summer.
"Wenger seemingly intends to go out on a high, having shown decisiveness in the signing of Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka for £34m over a month before the transfer window formally opens," says the London Evening Standard.
"Arsenal are also considering breaking their £42.4m transfer record to acquire Juventus striker Alvaro Morata with a commanding central defender also believed to be on the club's wishlist."
Arsenal to offer Arsene Wenger 'insane' contract extension
13 May
Arsenal are poised to offer Arsene Wenger a two-year extension to his present contract in the hope of tying him to the club until 2019 - a move that will cause huge controversy at the club.
According to The Times, Stan Kroenke, Arsenal's majority shareholder, "has prepared a new deal... that the club will urge Wenger to sign promptly if they make a strong start to the next campaign".
Kroenke will ask Wenger to make his decision by October so that if the 66-year-old Frenchman decides not to extend his existing deal beyond the end of next season, the club will have plenty of time to choose a successor to the manager who has been in charge since 1996.
The news will stun many Arsenal fans after a season without silverware but sources at the club have told the Times that American Kroenke "treats Wenger with something close to reverence and the owner's faith in him remains as strong as ever".
The Gunners have qualified for the Champions League for the 20th successive season, a record no other English club can boast, and they could finish second behind Leicester if they beat Aston Villa on Sunday and Spurs lose to Newcastle.
The news that Arsenal are prepared to extend Wenger's contract comes a day after Mauricio Pochettino signed a new contract at Spurs that will keep him at White Hart Lane until 2021. But whereas the Pochettino deal has been universally applauded by Tottenham fans - hailed as the start of a bright new era for the Gunners' bitter rivals - the prospect of another three years of Wenger will fill many Arsenal supporters with dread.
It's 12 years since Arsenal won the league title, and ten years since they reached the final of the Champions League. In the subsequent decade all the Gunners have had to cheer are two FA Cup victories. Yet there remains a hardcore of supporters who still put their trust in the Frenchman, and the Times reports that Wenger was "hugely encouraged by the backing that he received" last month at the Emirates when a fans' protest at his reign was drowned out by other supporters chanting his name.
But not everyone shares Wenger's optimism. The contract offer is "as preposterous as it is presumptuous", says Times chief football writer Henry Winter. "It is inappropriate. It is insane."
In his view the north London club, who won three league titles in Wenger's first eight years in charge in an era when Manchester United were the best team in Europe, are on the slide under the Frenchman with no-one at the club willing to question his increasingly poor recruitment policy or his tactical naivety. "It is sad really," says Winter. "There is much to admire about Wenger... but he has forgotten that the game is about trophies.
"Back-to-back FA Cups in 2014 and 2015 were memorable occasions but the leading honours, the Premier League and the Champions League, remain increasingly distant visions. Arsenal lack the ruthlessness, leadership and tactics to last the course in those."