An uncertain future for Wenger

Having not delivered any trophies since 2005, could this be Arsene Wenger’s last season as Arsenal manager?

As the fans grow more and more impatient with the Gunners' failure to deliver any glory in seven seasons, could now be the signs of the beginning of the end of Wenger?

Undeniably the Frenchman has earned his legendary status within the English game where he is the most successful foreign manager in Premier League history, but his enterprising, exciting football has become ineffectual in producing any kind of silverware success.

An exhilarating football philosophy

Wenger (pictured) was a close friend of club vice-chairman David Dein when arriving at Highbury in 1996 as Arsenal looked to replace dismissed manager Bruce Rioch.

The Frenchman was unknown by many and the selection was seen as a disappointing appointment for Arsenal, having missed out on the acquisition of Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff.

He led the Gunners to a third place finish in his first season followed by a Premier League title and FA Cup glory in season 1997-98.

His football philosophy consisted on bringing exhilarating, attractive football to Highbury and he successfully produced a brand of football that made the Gunners the most exciting team in the Premier League for a number of years.

His brilliant eye for talent has been in full display throughout his time in London, as he brought in the likes of Patrick Vieira, Marc Overmars, Robert Pires and of course the great Thierry Henry.

He gained a reputation of being an expert at unearthing young unknown talents and creating them into world class footballers.

He transformed players like Cesc Fabregas, who he had bought from Barcelona as a 16-year-old for a fee of £500,000.

The Spaniard became the heart of the Arsenal midfield and the best player for the club in recent seasons before he was eventually sold back to Barcelona for £25.4m in the summer of 2011.

The greatest achievement by the Frenchman came in the 2003-04 season where Arsenal completed the campaign as unbeaten champions of England.

26 wins and 12 draws saw Arsenal enter the history books and were later branded as ‘The Invincibles.’

The Gunners last final was in 2011 where they faced Birmingham City in the League Cup final.

Wenger’s men were overwhelming favourites going into the game but Nikola Zigic scored in the 28th minute as the Blues took a shock lead.

Robin van Persie cancelled out the underdogs early advantage before half-time as Arsenal began to dominate the game.

The match seemed to be heading for extra-time but in the 89th minute a fumble by Wojciech Szczesny presented the ball to Obafemi Martins for a simple tap-in.

What has changed?

In recent years, Arsenal have struggled to keep hold of their best players and have become a provider club for several top European sides.

Wenger lost Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy and Kolo Toure to super rich Manchester City who not only left for mega wages but for the ambition to win trophies.

This summer, Wenger tried in vain to keep Van Persie at the club by bringing in big name signings such as Santi Cazorla, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud.

It wasn’t enough as Manchester United prized away the Dutch international. As more speculation arises about the futures of other Arsenal stars, it seems that the belief of the players may be fading in the ambition and ability to win trophies.

This season has produced a mixture of great football and poor performances. The team won emphatically at Anfield, destroyed Southampton 6-1 and earnt a superb point at Manchester City.

However, they were outclassed by Chelsea, lost in a meek performance at Norwich and lacked the quality last Saturday, which ended in defeat to Manchester United.

Seventh place in the Premier League, below the likes of Everton and West Brom is simply not good enough. In fact, the 15 points tally recorded so far is the worst start the club has made in the top flight since Wenger took over.

Champions League progression is likely despite a home defeat to Schalke 04 recently and they are through to the quarter-finals of the Capital One Cup but it feels like Arsenal have reached a crossroads as a top football side in England. 

So, who could possibly fill the big boots of Wenger in bringing success to Arsenal as well as keeping the fans happy by playing entertaining attacking football?

Pep Guardiola would be the obvious choice with his brilliant track record at Barcelona and he would be a choice that would excite the fans and attract top players to join the Gunners.

The time has come for Wenger to deliver trophies on a regular basis or face the ultimate consequence in football management. 

By Kuvan Sidhu - Follow me on Twitter @Kuvinho08