CHANGE OR GO, ARSENE

Arsenal boss has to agree with shake-up at the club if he wants a new contract

ARSENE WENGER has been forced to compromise on his opposition to changes at Arsenal because of a hardening attitude from the board of directors which puts his own position at risk.

The delay in announcing a new contract for Wenger is believed to have been caused by the board and manager disagreeing over the structural changes r equired to t ake Arsenal forward.

And sources within the club believe two members of the six-man board were reluctant for Wenger to carry on. At the very least, they weren’t prepared to allow him to do so unchallenged.

Arsenal are now expected to start appointing staff with sporting, administrative and medical expertise to provide a back-up infrastructure when Wenger does leave. However, there may still be no-one identified as a sporting director or director of football, which was Wenger’s chief objection to the idea.

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis made it clear in a meeting with the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust last month that Wenger had to be a ‘catalyst for change’ at the club. And it is revealed today that Gazidis also told fans at the meeting ‘Arsenal are not where we want us to be.’ That is a further sign of the board’s frustration at sub- standard performances this season.

Arsenal can still qualify for the Champions League today if they beat Everton while Liverpool slip up against relegated Middlesbrough. They also have an FA Cup final to play against Chel se a ne x t week, wi t h We ng e r ’ s future to be announced shortly after.

Despite Arsenal l ooking likely to fail to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1998 — Wenger’s first full season with the club — the manager insisted: ‘City won the Premier League in the last minute against QPR in 2013. So it can happen. But what we have to do is win the game first.’