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Arsene Wenger 'safe regardless of Arsenal's Champions League fate'
Arsene Wenger will attend Arsenal's monthly board meeting on Thursday but his future is not on the agenda.
It is understood the club have no intention of sacking Wenger, even if they fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.
The manager retains the unequivocal support of majority shareholder Stan Kroenke and his fellow directors.
Arsenal's recent record
| Campaign | League | FA Cup | League Cup |
|---|---|---|---|
|
2011-12 |
Third |
Fifth round |
Quarter-final |
|
2010-11 |
Fourth |
Quarter-final |
Runners-up |
|
2009-10 |
Third |
Fourth round |
Quarter-final |
|
2008-09 |
Fourth |
Semi-final |
Quarter-final |
|
2007-08 |
Third |
Fifth round |
Semi-final |
|
2006-07 |
Fourth |
Fifth round |
Runners-up |
|
2005-06 |
Fourth |
Fourth round |
Semi-final |
Kroenke was at Tuesday's Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich and will also be at the board meeting in London.
Any decision over Wenger's future rests with the Frenchman himself - he is under contract until 2014 and Arsenal would be prepared to offer him a new deal if he wants to extend a reign that began in 1996.
There will be no out-of-the-ordinary show of support at the board meeting because the support is already there - Wenger and the board are united and agreed on what they are trying to achieve and what needs to be done to get there.
They recognise the shortcomings of the team and understand the concern of Arsenal supporters, but the club are adamant they are putting the structures in place to compete with Europe's biggest teams in the near future.
Arsenal are facing a battle to qualify for next season's Champions League. They sit fifth in the Premier League, four points adrift of the final qualification spot, which is currently occupied by neighbours Tottenham.
They have not won a trophy since beating Manchester United on penalties to lift the FA Cup in 2005, and hopes of silverware this season have all but disappeared.
Wenger's side were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by League Two side Bradford in December and suffered a home defeat by Blackburn in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday.
Arsenal won the FA Cup in 2005, their last trophy
Their chances of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals were severely dented with the 3-1 last-16 first-leg loss to Bayern.
Arsenal's move from Highbury to Emirates Stadium in 2006 restricted their spending power - and they did not anticipate the impact that cash-rich clubs such as Chelsea and Manchester City would have on football's markets.
But the first instalment of a new shirt sponsorship deal will contribute to a fund of around £70m for new signings this summer.
The club will be boosted by fresh Premier League TV deals, which will give each club around an extra £30m per season from this summer.
They are expected to move on a number of fringe players to free up money for new signings, with Andrey Arshavin and Sebastien Squillaci out of contract at the end of the season and Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner also likely to leave.
Arsenal's pursuit of Barcelona striker David Villa in the January transfer window - which came to nothing because the Catalan club refused to sell - indicates they are ready to spend significantly.
The Gunners hierarchy are confident they have the resources to attract top-quality signings even if they miss out on next season's Champions League, although accept that would make the task harder.
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Comment number 812.
SnoDK23rd February 2013 - 11:07
@809 Liverpool haven’t been near anything for years. Finished 8th last season, more like status quo with more goals.
Arsenal haven’t finished outside top 4 in 17 years and that streak looks hard to continue. Yet – this article just state that Arsene’s head is not on the block.
McNulty’s agenda? in Danish media Liverpool’s performance isn't the talking point. It's declining Arsenal
Link to this (Comment number 812)
Comment number 811.
Liverpaul8523rd February 2013 - 6:49
@809 Are Liverpool going backwards? Or is it that the other teams are going forwards at a faster rate than Liverpool?
Highest scoring team of the year so far suggests that, in attack at least, that we are certainly getting things together.
I would suggest the reason there is more talk of Wenger than BR is because BR has not won anything with Liverpool in 8months, AW has won nothing for 8years!
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Comment number 810.
deben23rd February 2013 - 6:29
I remember watching Arsene in an interview a couple of years ago; those years when he was viewed as an "immortal". He said "I wont be here if i felt Arsenal could not win silverware". Those were the days anything he said carried so much weight!!! Well, its obvious he knows better than any one else that Arsenal cant win any silverware, not even next year. Whats he doing about it. Not much huh???
Link to this (Comment number 810)
Comment number 809.
GratefulSaid23rd February 2013 - 4:33
@snoDK - how is this not part of the now standard BBC Arsenal bashing?
Liverpool are now 2 places and 5 points behind us in the league, out of the Europa League and out of both cup competitions in the fourth round, yet I don't see McNulty and co questioning the safety of Bendan Rodgers jobs, even though Liverpool are clearly going backwards.
Link to this (Comment number 809)
Comment number 808.
Tanglefoot22nd February 2013 - 23:19
@snoDK
believe it or not, the BBC still has the reputation of being impartial.
What angers people so much about writers like McNulty is their own personal agendas are blatantly on display.
We expect better from the BBC.
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Comments 5 of 812