Arsenal chief: Long-term interests key in decision on Wenger's future
Arsenal chairman Sir Chips Keswick has released a statement saying a decision on embattled manager Arsene Wenger's future will be treated with careful consideration and with the "long-term interests" of the club taking precedence.
The address follows Tuesday's 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich, which was Arsenal's biggest home loss since 1998 and completed a humiliating 10-2 aggregate elimination from the Champions League Round of 16. The match was preceded by hundreds of fans protesting against Wenger's management outside the ground, and then various banners expressing similar sentiments inside the Emirates Stadium.
The statement on the club website reads:
We are fully aware of the attention currently focused on the club and understand the debate. We respect that fans are entitled to their different individual opinions but we will always run this great football club with its best long-term interests at heart.
Arsene has a contract until the end of the season. Any decisions will be made by us mutually and communicated at the right time in the right way.
The midweek hammering marked the seventh time in a row Arsenal has been dumped from the final 16 of the competition, and compounded domestic issues after the previous Saturday's 3-1 reverse at Liverpool, which sees the Gunners two points adrift of the Premier League's coveted top four. Archrival Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, is six points clear of Arsenal in second place.
Wenger's questionable performance at the Arsenal helm could be worsened in the summer. Alexis Sanchez was subject of an apparent training ground spat before the Liverpool match, and he, along with Mesut Ozil, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Jack Wilshere could seek pastures new. All the players are in relative positions of power, given their respective contracts expire in 2018.
The future of the veteran boss is a more delicate subject than most in the impatient world of English management, though. The Frenchman is overseeing his 21st season in north London, and has led the club to nine major titles, including the historic unbeaten Premier League season in 2003-04. He also revolutionised training and scouting methods on his arrival, although a common accusation is that rivals have now caught up or surpassed the standard of Wenger's practices.
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Before Sir Keswick's statement, Wenger said he will judge fan opinion before opting whether to stay at Arsenal.
"Yes - you consider. It is not the most important factor to consider of course," he said. "I don't work for my image, I work for this club. How I look is not really my problem.
"I have shown since I have been here, I have shown I love this club and am loyal to this club. I think I have made the right decisions and respect the values of this club.
"I have worked for 20 years to make our fans happy and when we lose games I understand they are not - at certain times you have to accept different opinions."
Arsenal is left to battle it out in the Premier League and FA Cup for the remainder of the 2016-17 campaign, but the former commitment appears out of reach with Chelsea boasting a stranglehold on top spot. The latter tournament would appear more straightforward for now, with non-league Lincoln City visiting the Emirates in the quarter-finals on Saturday.