The Times are reporting tonight that Arsene Wenger is to be offered a new deal at the club.
A two year extension is apparently in the offing with majority shareholder Stan Kroenke keen for the Frenchman to put pen to paper early next season at the latest. They suggest there’s an October deadline on the offer, leaving Arsenal time to find a replacement if Wenger decides that the 2016/17 season is to be his last.
There have been whispers of a new deal doing the rounds for some time now, but in the current climate it would be extremely difficult to make any such announcement, even if there were agreement on all sides.
The 66 year old Frenchman is now under more pressure from fans than at any other time in his career at the club, with protests in the stands at the recent home game against Norwich.
Although dressed up as a wide ranging protest at many aspects of the way the club is run, the crux of the matter was managerial change.
Speaking after the protests, Wenger’s message was somewhat conciliatory, saying, “We respect the opinion of everybody, and that we give absolutely the best. I’ve shown my commitment to this club. I care for the club and the fans.
“I’m really sorry that I cannot make them all happy, of course, but we’ll continue to work hard to achieve it.”
Doubts will remain, however, but the Frenchman will have considerable funds at his disposal as he enters the final year of his current deal.
There are already links to big money signings, with Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka the subject of a €43m bid.
This latest news comes as Forbes released a report which showed Arsenal valued at over $2bn, the 5th most valuable club in world football today.
Wenger certainly does merit criticism, but an owner who has presided over the stockpiling of huge amounts of cash has only recently begun to attract fan ire himself. With season ticket renewal letters going out this week, it remains to be seen how well the club have judged the public mood in terms of the manager’s future.
Hard to judge this one. I’m not opposed to Wenger staying – for the sole reason that the board and Kroenke appear to have absolutely no succession plan in place for when Wenger finally does go.
You look at Man Utd and start to really fear for our club. Imagine what would happen to Arsenal (minus a quarter of a billion pounds invested into the team). *shudders*
I don’t even think if Arsene knows whether he would take that deal (if it truly is there). Ultimately we all know fans are fickle, if Arsene does go out and buy a handful of class players this window (laughs hysterically out loud) and we go on next season to win the League, or maybe a double or something like that.. would people be so opposed to him singing a new deal at the end of the season? Then again, you have the reverse of that, lets say the same thing happens this window as what happened last window, all… Read more »
Smart enough to walk away on a high? You’ve got to be joking. If that was ever going to happen he’d have gone after the first FA cup win with his reputation still almost in tact. That way, we’d all have happily pretended that he was an unselfish genius, nobly managing on a shoestring and sacrificing his own career to stand by us through the worst years of the debt. But he didn’t then, and he didn’t when he had all those supposed offers from Real, City and PSG because he knows Arsenal is the only place that gives him… Read more »
I agree 100%.
The problems we can all see with the squad have yet to be acknowledged let alone acted upon. There is absolutely no way Wenger will be investing in any worthwhile striking talent over the Summer. instead expect another underwhelming signing. £10-£15m, injury prone, not wanted by any other big club in world football and much less than world class standard.
Same old same old. In Arsene We Rust.
Hammer – Head of Nail – Bosh !!!!
Obviously I didn’t read all of your post (who has time for that?) and I switched off when you said Wenger has only stayed at Arsenal because they’re the only club which would give him absolute power.
I think he loves the club and wants to do it all over again if he can – league wins etc.
Personally I don’t think he can, which is why I’d like him to leave.
Perfectly put!
I think you raised a good point but I’d argue that the issue with Manchester United when SAF left was also generational. A host of players – Giggs, Ferdinand, Vidic, Carrick, Evra – were all coming to the end of their careers while their best players – RVP and Rooney – sharply began to decline. Couple that with poor internal replacements (Evans, Smalling, Chicarito) and terrible transfer dealings (Di Maria, Falcao, Valdes, Schweinsteiger) and you’re left with a situation where now, three seasons on, their team is still fundamentally flawed. That isn’t to suggest there wasn’t a significant managerial element.… Read more »
Funny we will have almost exactly a 1/4 of a billion in cash. It’s the club that won’t spend it….
This 109%.
Even if you are pro Wenger, a board that almost seems dependant on the whims of a 66-year old man carrying on as he is, with little to no consideration for a succession plan is a board and a club that will be caught with their pants down the moment he decides to quit.
We will become the new United.
This! This is my main issue with the current situation. There is no indication that we’re preparing for when he finally goes. There’s simply no plan to move to an infrastructure similar to Bayern Munich or other big clubs where managers exclusively focus on the team. They’re simply not involved in contract negotiations, scouting, sponsorship deals and so on and so forth.
Yowsers
Ooohhh… This will cause some highly rational non emotive debate amongst our supporter base. Lucky we all respect each other’s opinions enough for it to be a good discussion.
Ha! Made me giggle. Sad how divided we’ve become
No we havent. EZD out
You sir, deserve a treat.
You’re talking shit mate….
Haha
(‘Tongue in cheek’ font needed for some it seems)
Haha, nicely put!
This is going to interesting…
Queue the savage dogs in 3…2…1….
Cue
Maybe they’re being lined up as we speak
Fuck right off with that. Another 3 years of living the same season no thanks.
Reward for messing up the season is a new contract offer.
What a great message to send everyone!
Thank god we all respect each others opinions enough to have a respectful non-emotive discussion about this topic.
I doubt it’s true but if it is then the timing is horrible. With all due respect to the man’s legacy he needs to earn any sort of extension by wining the EPL. Simples.
This won’t be confirmed until after the season ticket renewal date has passed. Ide bet my new set of golf clubs on it payed for by not renewing mine 2 seasons ago.
Of all the clubs in the league we are less of a football club and more of a business than all of them.
From our sterile stadium to our blatant lack of ambition. Shame we ended up like this and shame on Arsene for being so complicit in its happening. Still 8 million quid a year for such little pressure must be hard to walk away from.
The new contract, if true, is a reward for the upcoming Fourth Place Trophy achievement.
dont forget the most points against the champions trophy. Seems we won the double this year
Media just stirring the shit pot at the most opportune time.
Arsene Zoolander in those pictures!
Whether or not this is true it may not be a bad thing.
A change at some point is inevitable. Physically Wenger can’t go on forever.
Leaving now or after the next season would leave a huge vacuum, the club lacks direction and leaders as it is already.
The change needs to be managed properly. With so much influence and intimate knowledge about the club, Wenger is the next person to do it.
You twit!
I’m getting a sneaking suspicion that Stan Kroenke doesn’t care what the fans think
We’re only interested in super quality.
top, top, top*
Hey big spender??!!
Clickbait
Exactly. With the contract situation, it was only a matter of time before such articles appeared.
When did Wenger sign his last contract? Was there a season left on his preceding contract?
Either way, I’m against him staying on. He has taken us as far as he can imo and the standard pattern of collapsing at critical moments in the season will continue as per. A fresh approach would be healthy for the club at this stage.
No, it was right down to the end of the contract. Some suspected he was waiting to see how the FA cup went.
If this has any truth it would make sense as they would want to know his intentions sooner to make proper preparations for transition. But I cannot possibly think if it’s true they would want it leaking right now.
Unless of course they want to encourage some turnover in season ticket holders.
Ah yes, that was it, cheers.
Could be an exercise in gauging fan reaction? Though as somebody as else pointed out it’s unlikely Kroenke will lose much sleep over fan’s opinions if the club is thriving financially. You think a contract for Wenger would encourage season ticket sales at this point?
Have you seen the waiting list? I don’t think it matters either way, season tickets will sell.
For the last 3 years they have had to go deep into the waiting list to before they actually got a take up..
Whilst the waiting list does exist not many are taking up the option when offered. And the number that are has been deminishing year after year. The club can no longer rely on the list taking up the slack.
Nonsense, you have to sit on that waiting list a ridiculous number of years, for every one person that knocks it back(after waiting for 10 years) there’s another thousand people who will bite the club’s arm off for one.
Re his contact. That was all done and dusted long before the fa cup final. If there was any truth in that then it would have been leaked as to whom we had approached to take over
You seriously think he would just walk away then with nothing in place
Spend a net £175m on players or F off, and then maybe still.
Really dude, not trusting you to be big in Europe, London or Japan.
Bring in a striker who is proven to be worthy of a top 5 club on earth, a wide forward who, er, fuck-de-do, scores and assists and stretches defences, a midfielder who likes being a midfielder too.
Win something then leave.
I became a goon during the 1997/98 season so wenger is all I’ve ever known. I’ve grown up with him. sort of like a Dad figure I’d say. i can’t even begin to contemplate AFC without monsieur Wenger. but at the same time something’s gotta give. arrgh this conflict is soo disturbing
If this is true and I don’t see names that include 4 of the following:
Lewandowski
Lacazette
Reus
Griezmann
Mahrez
Aubameyang
Xhaka
Pogba
Manalos
Well please skippetty a yay to fuck land… Cos you ain’t winning shit old man. Fuck you and you’re selfish shit fuckety bullshit ways.
I’m sure Pogba and Lewandowski are just waiting for our call….
Exactly. Pogba is on fuck all money – Sonogo stylie and we should give lewandiwski a £10m day 1 pay day… We are not in the running. Come to Arsenal… We are worth $2bn… We’ll double your cash and Cazorla will blow you. Would be. Good start. But more than that affordable. …
Wenger has built a castle of bullshit and it’s about to crumble…
I’ll hibernate. What’s another decade….
if we’re offering blows they’d want giroud. tasteless comment nonetheless
They will kill walcott – #signdating
has anyone thought that maybe the way Arsenal is run maybe a top manager wont want to come to Arsenal with spending restraints impemented this could be a big problem created right there! are the board and owner prepared to let some one else change the clubs philosophy i doubt it esp when its worth has trebled since the move to the Emirates, i think there’s still some life left in the Wenger dog, next season could be the make or break for him even signing a new deal
It’s like ceausescu all over again.
My heart sank a little I like and respect him. I just think football has changed and he’s not changed with it. We need a change. At least man utd always changed the coaching staff esp hear coach and assistants. We very rarely do I know alot on here fear the worst. Look at West Ham. With bilic they’ve hit heights no one expected. Tuchel(?) at dortmund. We can improve with a new manager It may just be media talk re certain players but it comes to something where blogs recently admitted that they held back the story re sanchez… Read more »
Can he just fuck off already?
Can he just respect his non contract ffs?
I’d prefer Cliff Richard for real.
“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Angers leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
Way too much anger, fella.
“Thank you for your interest in our affairs”…
I think the fans should protest about the makeup of the board since this won’t change until we get some smart football people in there.
Looking past the outrage, the board is pretty stupid giving an October deadline. If Wenger doesn’t want to extend, let him go now, as why give a lame duck manager access to a once in a decade windfall to spend in the transfer market.
If arsene doesn’t go at the end of this contract, then when? 2 years, 4 years? More. He’s in danger of becoming the premier league’s Robert Mugabe.
Oh no now we will be worth 3 bil next year #sarcasm
Why anyone feels the need to verbally abuse him is beyond me – if you have an opinion, reveal it respectfully. For me, you just lose credibility when you start this attach on him. Wenger has made mistakes, no doubt. However, are we too quick to forget the good he did and still does? Is it a certainty that he will fail – I don’t think you can say so but the signs have not been good in recent years and so the sentiment does have justification. I hate to bring up the Man Utd analogy – but I just… Read more »
This is the most sensible comment I have ever seen regarding our current situation. Hats off
Sigh…. Perhaps he’s grooming Iwobi for the managers job. Wenger will preside until Iwobi is in his 60’s and finally at the ripe old age of 110 Wenger will retire to join the board consisting of a 400 year old Sir Duke Baron Lord of the Privy Chips Keswick Third Count of Hampshire. Did I say Sigh?
Yeeeeah! I like Arsene, and It’s not his fault he hasn’t won a title since 2004. Coincidentally, I started watching soccer in 2005 (after the FA cup win) when American stations started showing it. So really, it is my fault. I am a jinx and an all around bad person. Sorry. Soccer soccer soccer soccer.
I don’t know how you sleep at night
Although I’ve said all along that I’m happy for AW to see out his contract whilst grooming a suitable, quality replacement to take over, I’m not averse to him extending his contract either. If it means that the club have even more time to line up a top notch coach to take the club forward afterwards then that can only be good. However, this can only be justified if he spends this summer and spends well at that. He HAS to prove he still has what it takes to be challenging next season in order to justify two more years… Read more »
If this report is true then it’s absolutely mental.
This is also finally demonstrating that the board have no footballing ambition & have no idea post Wenger.
Arsenal is now simply a cash cow for Stan Kroneke along with the the rest of his underachieving ‘franchises’.
I would passionately ask all fans attending on Sunday & every game next season to demonstrate every chance you can to get this cancer of an owner out of our club.
The time to demonstrate against Kroenke is long over. Mass demonstrations combined with informed press releases from respected fan organisation like the AST could have been effective before he acquired a majority share as board members like Lady Nina were wavering over whether to sell to him or Usmanov/Moshii. But back in those days unfortunately the vast majority of fans were all in favour of Kroenke, and Red Action were waving ‘Arsenal Hates Usmanov’ banners at the Emirates. Too late now. He’s here and nothing short of relegation and a dramatic threat to his share values is going to dislodge… Read more »
I am so done with this shite.
I can understand this from the point of trying to sign players. What players are going to want to sign with Arsenal if they think the manager is on the way out the door? I understand everyone’s frustrations, but this makes at least some sense in transfer business.
Qu’ils mangent de la brioche
Well he is an integral part of the club structure and history and arsenal won’t be the same without him,.hope he stays and agree a new deal. .
Cant live with him…
Nothing will change in our performances next season
Cant live without him…
No world class managers available to take over
There’s only one Arsene Wenger
He’ll win it next year and we’ll have wished he’d signed it.
Haha he can’t win it when all the ‘big’ guns fuck up
He’s never going to win it again
I am already in the ‘come on arsene, sign da thing already’ camp!
I think we are being naive to think we haven’t got a succession plan in place. I for one, while frustrated with this season, am happy for him to continue. Simply because i don’t want another Man u situation, where 4th place doesnt seem all that bad.
Gazidis will certainly have got one; he said he had one several years ago, just as a precaution, and he presumably keeps revising it depending on who is available. It’s all meaningless, however, if Kroenke and Chips Keswick insist Wenger stays on. The best Gazidis can do is to continue to look, to take advice, to make contacts and put out feelers, etc. He can’t make actual offers until Kroenke gives him the OK. We’ve missed out on all the top names, so I’d think Koeman is the best of the bunch remaining and the timing would be right as… Read more »
So what exactly is new, the club is being proactive in trying to know their position by October. That to me is a good thing. It’s called planning.
Speculation on Wenger future is bound to affect signings. Players will be reluctant to sign for a manager that will take off after a season, if in doubt ask van pussy.
They will never sack Wenger, they have left d decision to leave up to him. That is fair enough
So difficult this one. I’ve been a Wenger loyalist until recently where I’ve had very little defence for him given the lessons we never learn. I used to think that if we had David Dein back or someone similar there forcing his hand in the transfer market that would be the solution, but it’s the fragility and inconsistency of our defensive game that continues to be the problem, not just signings. How can we destroy Man Utd’s first 11 at home and go so limp against their kids, we lose to Southampton and Swansea on a yearly basis as well… Read more »
Announcing that a manager is not renewing a long time before the end of his contract is a recipe for disaster, or at least underwhelming performances and player apathy. Just look at how City have not really given a shit this season, just waiting for the new Manager to arrive. The same will happen at Arsenal. He should either leave this summer or announce any extension or departure after the end of next season, like he did last time.
Bayern won the champions league with Heynckes after they announced that Guardiola would take over. It is normal and smart for a club to begin to look for alternatives early. Though don’t believe that times article one bit.
What’s the poo-meter for this ?
Time for Wenger to go
I can imagine stan sitting in his ranch stroking his white cat with an eye patch on. Arsene stood in front of him. “Mr Wenger, you have done a wonderful job of increasing my sickening fortune. with you I will soon be able to buy an entire state in the united states. You must work for me forever. dont listen to the little mignons. they will still attend in their numbers. they cant even organise a protest…they dont even know who or what they are protesting against! hahahaahha (evil laugh). How does 10 million a year sound? We will announce… Read more »
I’m so done with this utter bollocks.
I have no excitement or optimism for next season – as you just know it’ll be the same old story, nothing ever changes with this club.
Fuck this – bye Arsenal ill come back and check on you in a couple of years when the powers that be (cunts) see sense and realise that a change is so desperately needed!
… and so continues the Carnival of Rust.
No signings, no steel, no defensive organisation, no trophies.