Why Arsenal should proceed cautiously with Arsene Wenger

It has been barely three game-weeks into the new Premier League season, and Gooners have already fallen into their predictable rhythm of "Wenger Out" banners and chants. After barely scraping past Leicester on the opening weekend, Arsenal slumped to embarrassing defeats away to Stoke and Liverpool, leaving them languishing in 16th place.

And once again, Arsene Wenger has come under severe criticism from pundits and fans alike, for both his team selections and his decisions in the transfer market. Against Liverpool, he went with Danny Welbeck up top, choosing to bench Alexandre Lacazette, and played Hector Bellerin out of position on the left instead of the impressive Sead Kolasinac.

Both the new signings were forced to watch from the sidelines as their team crumbled under Liverpool's lightning quick counter-attacking. Wenger's insistence to start Welbeck up front is baffling, given that Lacazette has had a solid start to life in the Premier League.

Arsenal actually started the transfer window strongly, snapping up Kolasinac on a free before uncharacteristically spending in excess of 50 million pounds for Lacazette (which is a bargain considering Kyle Walker cost roughly the same). But they failed to make any more signings, and lost Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool, meaning yet another season with very low squad depth.

They were linked with Monaco winger Thomas Lemar throughout the summer, but were rejected by the player. Alexis Sanchez was linked with City as well, but even though they managed to hold onto one of their best players, they risk losing him for free next year when his contract runs out. Shkodran Mustafi was close to signing for Inter Milan but ended up staying as well. This means that Arsenal have two first team stars whose commitment will come under question, having been denied a chance to leave in the summer.

The veteran French manager has been at the club for more than 20 years, and he is essentially an old school manager refusing to adapt to a highly dynamic and inflated transfer market. Arsenal were one of only five Premier League clubs who actually made a profit this summer.

Time and again, it has been proven that you cannot win titles without spending. Each of their rivals have had extremely successful transfer windows, and go into the season with very strong squads. Arsenal stick out like a sore thumb, with a squad that is unsettled and shallow.

Arsenal might have turned into a cup team, but have managed to win silverware consistently

And yet, it shouldn't be forgotten that Wenger is still Arsenal's most successful manager. Barring last season, he has provided something that none of the other English clubs could achieve; stability. For all his shortcomings, Wenger has delivered success regularly. Considering the nature of the league, Wenger deserves credit for managing to win three FA Cups in the last four years and managing high league finishes.

All the Gooners who regularly demand his sacking, particularly over the last few seasons, needn't look far to analyse what happens to a team when a long serving manager departs the club. Manchester United astonishingly finished 7th when David Moyes took over after the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, which at that point of time was the worst title defence in Premier League history.

Sir Alex and Wenger are different from each other in several ways, but both have managed a single club for more than 20 years, a remarkable feat considering managers these days get sacked within a year. And when you leave a club after such a long time, there are bound to be far reaching consequences.

When Moyes arrived at United, he brought his own backroom staff, which meant that everyone at the club, from the board and the players, to coaching and medical staff, had to deal with several abrupt changes. The result was a very poor season on all fronts, with a team that won the title barely a season ago losing to sides embroiled in a relegation dogfight. Moyes was eventually sacked before the season even got over, a humbling end to a manager who was supposed to be the "Chosen One".

And United suffered this fate even after Ferguson left on his own terms. His decision to retire was entirely his own, and he was also the one who chose Moyes as his successor. One can only imagine what would happen at Arsenal if Wenger, a manager who is still respected by several fans and players, was sacked after contributing so much to the club.

This isn't to suggest that he should continue as manager for the near future. A slump is inevitable if Arsenal continue in this fashion. The high command at the club have several important decisions to make that could affect their future, including selecting Wenger's potential replacement. Definitely, an unenviable position to be in.

The Gunners should avoid the mistakes that United made. Arsenal should go for a man who has proven himself in Europe, and also someone who would accept and propagate their core philosophies. And that is no easy task, considering that the best managers today are already at some of the biggest clubs in Spain, England, Italy and Germany. And that is why it makes sense for Wenger to remain in charge until his new contract runs out. Arsenal should, at all costs, hold on to him until they have a proper replacement sorted out.

And finally, they should avoid the dishonour of sacking him publicly. The least courtesy they can do to one of their most iconic managers is to allow him to leave on his own terms, a move that would restore some of the faith that fans have lost on the owner and the board in recent seasons.