Arsenal long serving manager Arsene
Wenger still has the full backing of Arsenal's board but is growing
increasingly concerned that the unrest among supporters could affect his
players, according to British newspaper reports.
With Wenger under increasing pressure after Arsenal's FA Cup loss to Watford on Sunday, the Daily Mirror and Daily Telegraph
reported that the Arsenal manager will be allowed to decide his own
future as he heads into the final year of his contract next season.
But,
citing sources close to Wenger, they said he may decide to step down if
the negative atmosphere around the Emirates gets even worse during the
last part of the season and starts affecting the team.
Arsenal's majority owner Stan Kroenke praised Wenger's analytical mind
as recently as Friday at a sports analytics conference in Boston, and
few would expect the Frenchman to be fired after his 20th season in
charge.
But Arsenal's faltering Premier League title challenge and
the likelihood of another Champions League exit in the round of 16 when
they face Barcelona on Wednesday has caused an increasing divide among
Arsenal supporters in recent weeks.
A banner urging Wenger to leave
was held up by some traveling Arsenal fans after the 4-0 FA Cup win
over Hull last Tuesday -- the Gunners' only victory in their last seven
games -- and there was even a scuffle among some supporters outside the
Emirates after the Watford loss.
Wenger, who was set to address
media at the Camp Nou on Tuesday evening, has been given the backing of
several former players over the last week, including Ian Wright and
Patrick Vieira.
"Fans
can be frustrated, but fans sometimes forget what Arsene has brought to
this football club and I think he deserves a bit more respect," Vieira told TalkSPORT on Monday.
"Fans can boo and show their anger, but the way they did it with that banner showed too much lack of respect."
Wenger
has not won the Premier League since 2004, but ended a nine-year trophy
drought with back-to-back FA Cup victories in the last two seasons.
Arsenal
are also the only club to play in the Champions League in all 19 of his
seasons in charge, a feat that has secured the club's financial
stability even as it spent years paying off the construction of the
Emirates Stadium.
Their recent lack of form means another top-four
finish could be under threat, though. Arsenal are only three points
ahead of fifth-place West Ham, while trailing leaders Leicester by 11
points with a game in hand.
With star duo Mesut Ozil and Alexis
Sanchez both having two years left on their contract, such a failure
could dissuade them from extending those deals in the summer.
Wenger
has been adamant that his team wants "to make the impossible possible"
against Barcelona, and defender Per Mertesacker also said the team
remains united in the midst of the turmoil.
"The season is not
over. We play in a confident way, we maybe lack that bit at the end. The
desire to play together and to be good as a team is there, you can feel
that," the German said.
Tuesday, 15 March 2016
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