Wenger Must Leave Arsenal Before his Legacy is Tarnished

When Michu ran through on goal completely unopposed and coolly slotted the ball past Wojiech Szczesny it was greeted with a chorus of boos, quickly followed by a mass exodus of Arsenal supporters from the Emirates Stadium.

Not only had they watched their side fall to a 2-0 defeat, but they had just slipped to their fourth defeat of the season and would now be in 11<sup>th place, behind the likes of Stoke, West Ham and their most recent conquerors Swansea.

Before the match there was an organised demonstration from supporters who were demanding their Arsenal back as they vented their disgust at the board members who are running their club.

During the match the fans continued to voice their unrest as a slick Swansea outfit managed to outpass and outmanoeuvre an Arsenal side which looked exempt of ideas.

Immediately after the game, Wenger was asked about his future and he responded in bullish fashion by saying: "If you ask me always about my future, I can only give you one answer. I always respected my contracts and that is it."

Wenger is currently contracted until the end of the 2013/14 season and maintains a firm favourite among the powers that be at Arsenal. Majority owner Stan Kroenke is convinced that the Frenchman is the man to take them forward, despite their worst start to a Premier League season in 18 years.

There is little doubt that Wenger is still adored by Arsenal supporters, and that the majority prefer to blame chief executive Ivan Gazidis for not giving the manager the funds to build a side capable of challenging for a league title.

Since Arsenal last won the title with the 'Invincibles 'back in 2004, Chelsea and Manchester City have spent hundreds of millions in order to regularly compete for the top domestic prize. In the same time period the Gunners have lost the likes of Samir Nasri, Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Alex Song and Mathieu Flamini.

All of these players have gone on to win trophies at their new clubs, while Arsenal have now gone seven barren years without any silverware. This drought does not appear to be coming to an end this season, as Wenger's side have won just five of their 15 league games, while they do not look anywhere near good enough to challenge in Europe.

Arsenal's new sponsorship deals are said to have made money available for Wenger in the upcoming transfer window, but it seems near impossible to add enough quality for this side to challenge the two Manchester clubs.

For Wenger it is a depressing scenario, and it seems he even vented his anger at the players after the defeat to Swansea. But can he ever produce another side like the dream team of 2003/04 which will surely go down as one of the greatest ever Premier League sides?

With money playing such an important role in modern football perhaps it is time for Wenger to look for a new project. A return to his homeland of France could well be in order, with Paris Saint-Germain the Ligue 1 versions of Chelsea and Manchester City.

PSG have the funds thanks to their Qatari investors, who are seemingly unhappy with the job being done by Carlo Ancelotti. Having spent huge sums of money to attract players likes Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore, the club from the French capital are 'struggling' in fourth place.

Ancelotti is coming under pressure and he knows it. "It's a difficult time for us," said the former Chelsea boss. "At the moment we lack consistency, intensity and the taking of responsibility. My players don't form a team, they're still a sum of individuals."

Last Saturday as Arsenal lost to Swansea, PSG were also falling to another defeat as they were on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline to Nice. The pressure is said to be mounting and there have even been rumours that Jose Mourinho will be approached about taking over in the summer.

Yet, perhaps sporting director Leonardo should turn his attention to Wenger. The 63-year-old still has so much to offer and, despite saying he wants to continue with Arsenal, could be lured away with an offer of an impressive salary and money to spend on players.

There is no doubting that Wenger has created a legacy at Arsenal, however, it may be time he walks away with that legacy intact.