Arsenal have reportedly decided to reward manager Arsene Wenger with a fresh two-year contract after salvaging the club’s season by lifting the FA Cup title.
The 67-year-old’s previous deal was due to expire at the end of the campaign, and this has crept doubts over his future following an average Premier League season where the club finished fifth.
According to BBC Sport, the Frenchman has resolved his future with the north London giants following fruitful talks with club owner Stan Kroenke on Monday.
Wenger has always been held in high esteem by the Gunners’ hierarchy, and it is suggested that the contract will be rubber-stamped in the coming hours ahead of a formal announcement on Wednesday.
Sead Kolasinac is said to have received assurances (Daily Mail) of Wenger’s stay prior to his Bosman move to the Emirates, and it does not come as a surprise that the long-standing manager has decided to prolong his 21-year reign.
Wenger’s first aim in the summer would be to improve the overall shape of the squad with the club in need of players in almost every department apart from the goalkeeping one – unless both Wojciech Szczesny and David Ospina leave.
The lack of Champions League is being said as a huge loss for a club which rarely attract the best talents from across the world, but Wenger could take a guide or two from Chelsea, whose manager Antonio Conte built up a title-winning squad irrespective of their European status.
The Gunners have never taken part in the Europa League in their club history but they do have a decent record in the old UEFA Cup after having reached the finals in 2000 – only to lose out to Galatasaray in a penalty shoot-out.
Arsenal are currently in the process of picking their recruits for the summer transfer window with a certain Henry Onyekuru on the verge of securing a £7m transfer, via Soccer Nigeria.
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