It won’t please all Arsenal fans but Arsene Wenger is staying.
The much-maligned Frenchman has divided fans this season but yet again he managed to deliver another major trophy for the club as they beat Chelsea 2-1 in the the FA Cup Final.
Although the day out at Wembley would have been one to remember for The Gunners, it is the Premier League title which is on the top of their wish list.
Arsenal haven’t won the title in over a decade - back when Thierry Henry spearheaded the ‘Invincibles' - and the game has changed a whole lot since.
No longer can Wenger rely on buying talented teenagers and be given time to nurture them into top class footballers. The modern day game is about the here and now. Big money simply has to be spent.
The lack of spending is something that Wenger has copped a lot of criticism for, particularly when Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea seemingly have bottomless pits of cash to dip into.
However, Arsenal’s 67-year-old boss has proven that he is pretty astute when it comes to big-money moves. Only four times has Wenger splashed more than £30million on a single player, with the record standing at £38.2million for German Mesut Ozil.
Now 28, the Arsenal faithful love their German playmaker and rightly so. Ozil can create chances out of nothing and to get him so cheaply was a wonderful bit of business back in 2013. His vision is sensational and sometimes I wonder if he actually has eyes in the back of his head.
Arsenal’s best player last season was Alexis Sanchez. Hailing from Chile, the attacker performs at a consistently high level every single time he takes to the field. When you consider that he only cost £31.7million from Barcelona, I, once again, tip my hat to Wenger.
It may prove a difficult task keeping hold of Sanchez with other clubs being able to tempt him with Champions League football.
But deals like Sanchez and Ozil prove Wenger will spend - when he feels that the player is worth it. It’s something he’s going to have to do again this summer if or run the risk of Arsenal being left behind for good…
