adminArsene Wenger has signed a new three-year deal to remain as Arsenal manager until 2017 yesterday.
Wenger, 64, has led Arsenal to eight major trophies since joining them in September 1996.This season he guided the Gunners to a 17th consecutive Champions League qualification and ended a nine-year wait for silverware with victory over Hull City in the FA Cup final.
The Frenchman was coming to the end of his previous contract.
Arsenal had not lifted a major domestic trophy since 2005 prior to the recent FA Cup triumph, although they did reach the Champions League final in 2006.
During Wenger’s time at the club, Arsenal moved to the new Emirates Stadium close to their old ground at Highbury.
Wenger, who became the longest-serving manager in England when Sir Alex Ferguson retired from Manchester United in May 2013, is credited with bringing new ideas about sports science and nutrition to English football.
“This is a guy who works 24 hours a day all year around,” former Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson told BBC Radio 5 live.
“He hates to lose. He totally revolutionised all sorts of things in the game in this country. People tend to think he has too much power, (but) a guy who dedicates himself to the game in the manner that he does is someone you treasure.”
Wenger’s greatest achievements was when his side, dubbed “the Invincibles”, remained unbeaten in winning the 2003-04 Premier League with a team featuring striker Thierry Henry and captain Patrick Vieira.
A quiet summer in the transfer market in 2013 and a 3-1 defeat at home by Aston Villa on the first day of last season drew criticism from some sections of Arsenal support.
The signing of Mesut Ozil for £42.4m on transfer deadline day and a good start to the season, where Arsenal were top of the Premier League for long periods, helped Wenger.
But a 6-0 thrashing by Chelsea in March saw him under fire again after his 1,000th game in charge, and Arsenal slipped out of contention for the Premier League title, eventually won by Manchester City.
But despite the uncertainty over his manager’s future, in January the Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis predicted that Wenger would sign a new contract in due course. — BBC Sport
Online Reporter