Arsene Wenger: The Gunners Should Extend His Contract

Arsene Wenger should extend his current Gunners contract and return the team to the glory experienced during the early years of his reign.

The Sunday Mirror reports today that Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has called for Wenger to extend his contract beyond 2012. Hill-Wood offers a strongly worded defense of Wenger and rebuke of those who questioned his credibility as Arsenal manager earlier this season.

Despite seven trophyless seasons, there is a strong case in favour of Wenger lengthening his deal. The cerebral Frenchman has still not lost his ability to turn raw talents into legitimate class players on the world stage.

Alex Song and Laurent Koscielny are the latest examples of players who have matured under Wenger and refined their respective skills. Song has shown tangible improvement in each of the last four seasons and is now regarded as instrumental to the team.

It is the abiding hallmark of Wenger's as a manager: the ability to take a player and make them better. Even star striker Robin van Persie, whose talent has rarely been questioned, is still an example of the remarkable development players make under Wenger's tutelage.

The idea of a temperamental right winger becoming the finest central striker in world football, would be a dream for most other clubs. Yet it is simply another success story on a long list during Wenger's time at Arsenal.

His work this season, though destined to go without the reward of silverware, has been some of the finest in a great career. Arsenal endured a summer that would cripple most clubs. They lost their two chief sources of creativity to mega-rich rivals and saw their brightest young talent laid low by serious injury.

These setbacks were followed by a consistent injury crisis in defense that required regular reshuffling and contributed to some painful defeats. Yet Wenger never wavered in his belief and adherence to Arsenal's style of play and talent.

He has rebuilt his team on the fly this season and has still managed to haul them back into the Champions League places. This is despite colossal spending from Liverpool and a Tottenham Hotspur squad deeper at every position.

Spurs have regularly been lauded by the media as the beacons of attacking football this season and commended for a remarkable campaign. Yet Arsenal sit above them in the table and have scored more goals, despite Wenger being accused of overseeing another mediocre, transitional campaign.

Granted the fact that Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea are all in the position to collect trophies this season is unacceptable. Arsenal at the moment are a better side than all three, yet Liverpool could collect both domestic cups, or one of Spurs or Chelsea could snatch the FA Cup away from them.

Wenger must face up to the shame implicit in this reality, during his quieter moments. However, he still remains as competitive as he has ever been. His determination to have Arsenal succeed in a particular way remains refreshing in a modern game too often reduced to cynical pragmatism on and off the pitch.

There is work to be done to the squad and Wenger must be held accountable for letting so much deadwood accumulate. However, his ability to operate on a budget and still gain entry into the UEFA Champions League every season is remarkable.

It's easy to forget that Wenger has Arsenal competing with two of the biggest spenders in the world game. Manchester City's financial muscle is given the most press and justifiably so. Yet Manchester United are not above throwing around lavish sums of money on a litany of players, in the hopes that some come good.

Criticisms of the spending power of others only ever seem to emanate from Old Trafford, when United are not the ones topping the spending charts as well as the league table. Wenger's counter continues to be unearthing gems and creating a young core.

The typical Wenger critic has one side of their mouth tell all that the Frenchman values development over success. While at the same time, the other side lauds Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as England's next big star, apparently forgetting who tracked and signed the youngster in the first place.

Wenger has lost none of his ability either in the transfer market, or on the training pitch. Extending his contract is not a question of him deserving time to see out a project or, having earned the right to leave on his own terms.

The simple fact is he can and will return Arsenal to trophy-winning ways. Sign him up.