Despite Arsenal being such a big club, there is a widespread consensus that Arsene Wenger had kept to the club afloat during the last decade. The move to the Emirates stadium had cost the club a lot of money and they found it difficult to compete in the transfer market against the big guns like Chelsea and Manchester United. Even though Arsenal have faced criticism for being content with a top four place, this has actually helped them build a strong financial base. As the debt at clubs like United continue to grow silently, the cash reserves that Arsenal have been building up in the last few years.
Arsenal have around £200 million in cash reserve and they have been posting profits regularly in the last few financial statements. These are extremely healthy for the club even though they have been receiving a lot of help from the Premier League TV money. Qualifying regularly for the Champions League has been seen as Wenger’s biggest achievement in the last decade. As fans start to get frustrated with the lack of trophies, the Frenchman is starting to age.
At 66, Wenger is highly unlikely to take up a new job and it may be possible only if it is an international job. He is more than likely to take up a role in the Arsenal board just like Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. A figure like Wenger cannot be just removed from the club. But what will happen to the club once he starts to play a minor role in proceedings?
There is a theory that Arsenal will struggle big time once the Frenchman leaves, but on the contrary, the club’s ability to challenge for honours is expected to be reinvigorated under a new regime. Due to the significant financial strength at Arsenal, the club will back a new manager quite heavily in the transfer window.
Wenger is part of Arsenal’s history; his first achievement was making the club attractive to watch. After building on the pitch, he has built a strong foundation which will be used to support the new manager.
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