Arsene Wenger has delivered a Âdefiant message to the Arsenal board, insisting that if they harbour any doubt over whether he should continue as manager, they should simply watch a rerun of the FA Cup final triumph over Chelsea. Saturday’s exhilarating 2-1 victory would have surely silenced Arsenal’s detractors for the simple reason that the Gunners played with assurance and denied Antonio Conte a chance to complete the double.
Wenger’s future will top the agenda at the club’s board meeting on Tuesday, with the Frenchman conceding that he should have “sorted out” his future sooner because of the uncertainty and effect it has had on the club, the players and the media “debate” it provoked. Tellingly, he added that he was “committed to giving everything to stay”.
Despite winning the FA Cup, ÂArsenal finished fifth in the Premier League and failed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in two decades in a season Âinfected with a toxic atmosphere.
Prior to Saturday’s final, Wenger said the behaviour of some Arsenal fans was a “disgrace” that he will “never forget”, and talked like a man who was unsure of his future. After the final, however, there was a far more positive message.
Wenger, whose contract expires on June 30, will attend the board meeting, with a formal announcement on his future due to be made on Wednesday. He will want to be backed and there is no doubt that he has also been hurt by the Âapparent wavering of some board members in recent months over whether he should stay.
Any queries of Wenger delivering a presentation to the board to make his case for staying as manager were promptly countered, saying: “The best presentation “ watch the game and there can be no doubt.”
Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke was at Wembley and will also be at the board meeting, along with his son, Josh, the club’s chairman, Sir Chips Keswick, Ken Friar, Lord Harris of Peckham and the chief executive, Ivan Gazidis.
The FA Cup triumph would have razed several doubts that were creepily weighing on Wenger’s psyche after a poor Premier League by the club’s own high standards. However, it now remains to be seen whether Wenger could agree a deal with the ÂArsenal board, who have been pushing for significant changes in staff and the way the club is organised. How much ground Wenger has ceded on this will become clear in the days to come, although Kroenke has been unwavering in his support for his manager and that is expected to be a crucial factor.
Wenger wants to retain the key Âdecision-making say on his staff and player recruitment and would regard interference as unacceptable. With Arsenal having now won the FA Cup a record 13 times and, extraordinarily, seven times Âunder Wenger alone, the 67-year-old while offering a revealing insight into what drives him, said: “I have desire. I love my job. I love to win, I love to build, I love to get people going and I love what I do.”
