Wenger gets another shot at the Gunners until 2019
Arsene Wenger has agreed a new two-year contract to remain Arsenal Football Club manager until at least 2019, extending his tenure into an unprecedented 23rd season.
The deal, worth around £8 million ($14.5 million) a year, was finalised with majority owner Stan Kroenke in the 72 hours after Wenger’s recordbreaking seventh FA Cup win on Sunday and formally ratified at a board meeting yesterday (New Zealand time) that also reviewed a season that ended on a high but culminated with a lowest Premier League finish under Wenger of fifth.
An official announcement will be made today, when Wenger and Kroenke are expected to outline their vision and determination to make Arsenal again challenge to win the Premier League.
The Cup final was never going to be decisive in Kroenke and Wenger’s decision and, although there is a desire now to address what went so wrong in February and March, three FA Cup wins in four years and league positions of fourth, third, second and fifth in that time were also taken into account, as was the wider atmosphere around the club.
Wenger complained of a “horrendous psychological” environment for his players this season, with some fans having launched protests before games and even twice flown a banner over the ground. He was especially hurt at the abuse he and some players received during and after the Crystal Palace defeat last month.
“The lack of respect at some stage has been a disgrace and I will never accept that,” Wenger said. “There’s a difference between being criticised and being treated in a way human beings don’t deserve to be treated.”