EPL 2016/17: 5 reasons why Arsenal should not reward Arsene Wenger with a new contract

Modified May 06, 2017 13:15 GMT

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 30: Arsene Wenger, Manager of Arsenal looks on during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White Hart Lane on April 30, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) — *Arsene Wenger has been an institution at Arsenal, but is his time finally up?*

#4 Arsenal need a change

FILE PHOTO - (EDITORS NOTE: COMPOSITE OF TWO IMAGES - Image numbers (L) 1530530 and 511891146) In this composite image a comparison has been made between Arsene Wenger,Manager of Arsenal (L) in 1996 and in 2016. Arsene Wenger celebrates 20 years in charge of Arsenal this season. ***LEFT IMAGE*** 2 Nov 1996: Arsene Wenger the manager of Arsenal during the FA Carling Premier league match between Wimbledon and Arsenal at Selhurst Park in London. The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Mandatory Credit: Stu Forster/Allsport ***RIGHT IMAGE***LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 23: Arsene Wenger the manager of Arsenal looks on during the UEFA Champions League round of 16, first leg match between Arsenal FC and FC Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium on February 23, 2016 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) — *Wenger has been the Premier League’s constant over the last 20 years, but is it time for a change?*

In football, 20 years is a ridiculously long time. Think about this – the season that Wenger joined Arsenal saw a Cantona-inspired Manchester United win the league, Alan Shearer finish as the league’s top scorer, and Coventry City – recently relegated into England’s fourth tier – finish seventeenth. This season’s big signing Shkodran Mustafi was just four years old when Wenger was appointed!

Sure, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Wenger is completely past it, but even the greatest things grow stale with time. While other clubs have made huge leaps forward in the years that Wenger’s remained in charge – Tottenham, for instance, finished 10^th in 1996/97 while Manchester City were languishing in the second tier – Arsenal have remained the lone constant and in the past couple of seasons I’d argue that they’ve finally stagnated.

With this season looking like the one where they finally miss out on the Champions League, it feels like the right time for Arsenal to freshen things up and make the big change. It wasn’t plain sailing for Manchester United but then Alex Ferguson won the league in the year he left Old Trafford – an improvement on this season would be a success for a new Arsenal manager and that’s achievable.