Is Arsene planning to leave Arsenal next summer?

There has been plenty of talk surrounding Arsene Wenger’s 20 year association with Arsenal football club, having come to North London in 1996. The legacy he has laid down at Arsenal has been well reported in these recent weeks and as a result plenty of opinions have been formed to show appreciation, as well as dissatisfaction at the boss in charge.

In my opinion, I stand in the middle of the debate regarding Arsene Wenger’s position at Arsenal. I am fully appreciative of all the change he has brought to the club, both on the pitch with success and titles, as well as off it with a strong financial structure and new stadium. But I also recognise that his last ten years haven’t been as fruitful as the first decade and as a result, I think the end of the season will more than likely be a good time for both parties to go separate ways. Of course a lot can change over the course of the season, but even if Wenger was to pull out all the stops in this campaign and brings success to North London, should he still leave at the end of the season?

In my opinion, the end of the current campaign would signify the end of a fantastic era in Arsenal’s history and the stand would be set for a new manager to take charge of a strong club, and bring fresh ideas and approaches to the team. Arsene Wenger has had such an impact and left such a legacy at Arsenal that he, in my opinion, should get a position amongst the higher roles of Arsenal. At this current moment in time, I believe that Arsenal have a very strong team, and that if it wasn’t for the strength and money splashers of the Premier League’s big spenders, then perhaps we would be looking at far more success from the last few years. With that in mind we may still be a few steps away from returning to our glory days, but the position Wenger will leave the club in, both on the pitch in quality and off it in financial structure is quite remarkable.

In fact the boss has been speaking about the matter himself and in a Daily Mail article, Wenger is quoted as saying: ‘I like to think that the club today is at a different level to when I arrived and as well, when I leave, that I leave a good team with a strong financial resources and good structures at the club.’

When Wenger came to Arsenal 1996, he joined as an unknown in a period where we were looking to become the big dominator in English football. It wasn’t long before Wenger brought success to the club and turned Arsenal into not just one of the biggest and most competitive teams in England, but in Europe as well. Wenger may not have achieved European success on the same scale as he has done in England, but the Frenchman has put this club into a position that is far more favourable now than it arguably was 20 years ago.

One of the biggest factors to consider as well is his handling of financial affairs whilst at Arsenal, because he has truly worked wonders to maintain a level of consistency during economically tough times at the club. Building a new stadium was a major financial challenge for the Gunners and under Wenger’s guidance, he has brought the club through it to the point where we no longer have to be wary of finances and could theoretically on paper at least, compete amongst the highest bidders in the footballing market.

No matter what you currently think about Arsene Wenger and his position at Arsenal, there is no doubt that Le Prof will leave the club in a strong position both on and off the pitch when he leaves and we can all appreciate his hard work, success and loyalty to Arsenal Football Club.

By AH