Arsène Wenger has revealed his future will be resolved at an Arsenal board meeting after the FA Cup final. The manager has yet to announce whether he will sign a deal to stay beyond the end of this season.
Arsenal have two games remaining, at home to Everton in the Premier League on Sunday and against Chelsea in the cup final the following Saturday.
Asked when the board meeting is scheduled for, Wenger replied: “I think it is after the FA Cup final.” Pushed on whether that is when a decision on his future will be finalised he said: “Yes. You have certainly to know that there are many aspects of a football club which have to be discussed at a board meeting.
“One of them is, of course, what is happening with the manager, the future, the players who have to come in, the renewal of contracts. You don’t miss problems in a board meeting.
“Of course I will be there. At the moment I think we should focus on short term and what’s going on on Sunday and in the cup final.”
21-year reign
A number of fan groups have called for Wenger's near 21-year reign to come to an end, with the club in serious danger of missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time under the Frenchman.
Arsenal go into the final round of league fixtures in fifth. They need a draw, or more likely a win, to stand a chance of finishing in the top four and require Liverpool or Manchester City to slip up.
As well as facing supporter protests, Wenger has found increased criticism from some former Arsenal players, with the former captain Tony Adams the latest to speak out against him. A new autobiography by Adams, who is managing Granada in Spain, is being serialised in the Sun.
“Back in the day I said in an interview coaching wasn’t Arsène’s strong point,” Adams wrote. “Actually in the original draft, I said he couldn’t coach his way out of a paper bag. And though I modified that in the final article it didn’t go down well.
“It all left me feeling that I would never get a chance in any capacity while Arsene was there. Much as I respected him for his long and successful tenure, my occasional willingness to pass comment on him and the team probably counted against me.”
Wenger brushed off the quotes by replying: “Well, I do not give too much importance to what Tony Adams says. Honestly.”
– (Guardian service)
