Arsene Wenger has reportedly informed Stan Kroenke that he wants to continue being the manager of the club.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Arsene Wenger wants to remain as the manager for Arsenal and is likely to sign a new two-year contract with the club. The Frenchman has informed the club’s majority shareholder Stan Kroenke of his intention to stay.
The news will be conveyed to the Gunners board during the meeting today. The new contract will be drawn up unless any major dramatic events unfold.
Wenger still retains the owner’s backing, which means the new deal will be ratified by the board. There have been rumours of some resistance from members of the board to letting Wenger stay, but Kroenke is said to hold the final decision.
The Frenchman’s over-cautious demeanour in the transfer market and his general tactics have been questioned by the board. For example, in the summer of 2013, Gonzalo Higuain had agreed to sign a deal with Arsenal but Wenger went on to pursue Luis Suarez instead.
Ultimately, the Frenchman was unable to sign either of the two players, and had to settle with signing Mesut Ozil at the last moment.
Wenger has given more than two decades of his life to Arsenal, but off-late, chants of ‘Wenger Out’ have been growing across the world among several Arsenal fans who are frustrated with the club’s tendency to remain average.
In fact, this season, the Gunners have probably suffered one of their worst Premier League finishes in 21 years and while they won the FA Cup on Sunday, their two star players – Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez – want out.
Their inability to secure a Champions League spot didn’t sit well with the fans either. Arsenal have been without winning a title in 14 years, and with increasing impatience among the fans and board members, Wenger’s next two years will be crucial.
The upcoming transfer window will be scrutinized to see how Arsenal and Wenger fare in the next season. They need a centre-forward and have been targeting Alexandre Lacazette of Lyon, but the Gunners will have to ward of the advances made by Atletico Madrid.
Meanwhile, they have also been linked with Malaga pair Sandro Ramirez, a forward, and midfielder Pablo Fornals.
