Now Kroenke has the tough task of replacing Wenger at Arsenal
london — Arsene Wenger is leaving Arsenal after more than 21 years, ending a revolutionary reign that saw him introduce new methods to the Premier League and become the club’s most successful manager.
While the 68-year-old Frenchman was able to announce his own departure plans on Friday, the tenure of English soccer’s longestserving manager will finish at the end of the season against a backdrop of mounting dissent as the London club’s competitiveness in the Premier League has waned.
Arsenal have failed to win the Premier League since 2004, but that feat represented the highpoint of Wenger’s career as he became only the second manager to go through an English league season unbeaten. The “Invincibles” season, his third Premier League title, helped shield Wenger against the critics. But Wenger’s power appeared to drain over the last year as executives trying to shape the future direction of the team were brought in.
The new two-year contract that Wenger signed after winning the FA Cup for a record seventh time last May will now not be completed.
With Wenger’s footprints all over the Emirates Stadium, finding a coach to step into the dugout after a dynastic reign is a challenge. Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke only has to look at the problems that have afflicted Manchester United since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 after more than 26 years in charge. United are on their third manger since Ferguson left after winning a record-extending 20th English title and have not finished higher than fourth. Among the early contenders to succeed Wenger are two Germans: Thomas Tuchel, who left Borussia Dortmund last year, and Germany coach Joachim Loew.
A popular appointment among Arsenal fans could be Patrick Vieira, who has been gaining coaching experience in Major League Soccer at New York City FC. The midfielder was one of Wenger’s first signings in 1996 and featured in all three Premier League title-winning sides.
Wenger took over in October 1996 as Arsenal’s first foreign manager on the back of successes at Monaco and a stint in charge of Japanese club Grampus Eight. He was a relative unknown but quickly gained respect for helping to modernise English football in the early years of the Premier League.
Adding Vieira and French players Nicolas Anelka, Emmanuel Petit and Thierry Henry helped to establish Arsenal as an English football power until Wenger was shackled by the financial constraints of the move from Highbury into the new Emirates Stadium in 2006. While Arsenal was taken over by Kroenke in 2011, the American sports tycoon operated in a parsimonious financial environment that irritated many supporters.
Now Kroenke has the tough task of replacing Wenger.
“This is one of the most difficult days we have ever had in all our years in sport,” Kroenke said. “One of the main reasons we got involved with Arsenal was because of what Arsene has brought to the club on and off the pitch. His longevity and consistency over such a sustained period at the highest level of the game will never be matched.” — AP