It is looking very likely (barring a Wenger miracle) that Arsenal are going to finish in the Europa League positions this season after 20 years in the Top Four, but a Top Six finish and a possible FA Cup triumph would be considered by most teams in the Premiership as a successful season. The ex-Man United star Gary Neville certainly thinks so. “If they won the FA Cup this year, would that be seen as a successful season? I’d say probably yes.
“People will argue their league performance has been the worst it’s been for 15-20 years but maybe they are allowed a blip.”
But whatever happens, Neville is certain that there will be no announcement about Wenger’s future until the season is over for the Gunners, and that means after the FA Cup Final on the 27th May which is the week after the final games of the season. Neville also doesn’t think a win or a defeat at Wembley will make any difference to Arsene’s decision after 20 successful (debatable) seasons at Arsenal. “I don’t think it leaves Wenger in a different position,” he continued.
“There won’t be a straw that breaks the camel’s back with Arsene Wenger. It’s a more the long term principle of whether the board and the manager feel it’s the right time – and no-one knows the answer to that. We’ll just have to wait and see – it is a unique situation where a manager has been there for so long.
“The board have got an incredible amount of loyalty to him and rightly so. The manager seems to be in a strong position, where he can almost dictate when he finishes. Everyone wants an answer today but I can’t see that happening while the FA Cup and league campaigns are still going on.”
So we have at least 25 days to wait to know what next season has in store for us. Can we be patient until then?
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