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Arsenal should wait until end of season to offer Wenger contract

| 22.06.2013

The general vibes coming from Arsenal is that they want Arsene Wenger to remain at the club beyond his current contract that ends next summer, but there are reasons to argue that they should wait until nearer the end of the upcoming season to begin discussing terms.

Wenger’s future has been one of the big talking points of the summer so far, especially with PSG desperate to find a new manager for one year so that they can bring in the Frenchman once he is a free agent.

Given the demand for his services, there must be a temptation to tie Wenger down to a new deal now, but waiting may prove the best policy.

After all, Arsenal now seem to have made it through the roughest of tides and the most harrowing of winds and can realistically be considered Premier League title challengers again for the first time in almost a decade.

Therefore, a big decision awaits over whether Wenger’s philosophy remains the best or whether now is the time for a new manager with fresh ideas to build on the solid foundations already built.

The big thing for Wenger is how well he utilises the transfer market and how successful he is at bringing in the real top-drawer players.

There is no doubt that he has proved himself adept at signing a youngster for a small fee and then coaxing the best from them.

However, his more expensive signings have largely been failures, with Andrey Arshavin, Jose Antonio Reyes and Sylvain Wiltord never truly justifying their price tags.

With a large budget this summer, there is the real possibility that three or four big-money signings will emerge, with Gonzalo Higuain looking increasingly likely to be the first.

If Wenger misses out on some targets, like he has with Juan Mata in the past, there will have to be concern over whether his methods in transfer dealings will hold the club back.

Secondly, this will be the first season for a while where Arsenal are not fighting to keep one of their star names and so pre-season should be a lot smoother.

And finally, Wenger should have the edge over this fellow title challengers this year given the length of time he has been in the Gunners’ dugout.

There is the potential that it could take a season for David Moyes, Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho to settle into their new roles, giving Arsenal potentially a greater chance of the title.

Should Wenger mastermind a successful season, then few will doubt he should stay. Another season of fourth could well mean it’s time for a change.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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Author

Craig Kemp

Craig has written for Ladbrokes since the 2010 World Cup, having previously gained a Media & Sports Journalism degree and contributed to publications including the Racing Post. His main areas of interest are horse racing and UFC, but he is also an avid X Factor gambler and likes nothing more than indulging in a spot of Hip Hop Karaoke.