Arsene Wenger to Reportedly Decide When He Leaves Arsenal Amid Exit Rumours

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will reportedly be entrusted by the club with deciding when he ends his tenure. 

According to Le 10 Sport (h/t Andy Ha of Football.London), the decorated coach will not be sacked by the Gunners, even if he fails to take the team back into the UEFA Champions League or win silverware this season.

"The report claims the long-serving boss will be allowed to make a decision on his own future, with the board respecting his status as a club 'icon,' and will only part company with his blessing," Ha wrote.

Wenger agreed a new two-year contract at Arsenal in the summer after the side failed to finish in the top four but won the FA Cup. That extension was struck amid a backdrop of supporters being split over whether they want the 68-year-old to stay or go.

As noted by Sport Witness, both sides of the debate have been vehement in their opinions on the matter:

Some will argue Wenger is the finest manager Arsenal have had, having steered the team to three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups since arriving in 1996. The Gunners have frequently won those prizes playing an enterprising brand of football, too.

But challenges for the biggest trophies—the league and the UEFA Champions League—have failed to materialise in recent years, with their last title coming in 2004 and no top-level European football this term at the Emirates Stadium.

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Unless the Gunners win the UEFA Europa League this season, finishing in a spot to qualify for the Champions League next year looks likely to be a big challenge. They sit in sixth place in the Premier League, seven points behind Chelsea in fourth.

Per James Benge of the Evening Standard, Wenger was asked about his future again recently but offered a coy response:

The frustration among the Arsenal fans at the current predicament is understandable, as the same errors appear to blight the team.

While Arsenal remain dangerous in an attacking sense, defensively they lack robustness and concentration at key times. Those woes and the inability to address them are the fault of the manager in the eyes of many.

While Alexis Sanchez departed in January, the Gunners moved to strengthen their attacking options in the form of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but their defence remains flimsy. James Dall of ESPN FC picked up on the manager's woes recently:

Arsenal are in another cup final on Sunday—they play Manchester City in the final of the Carabao Cup—and have a tremendous record at Wembley Stadium in such encounters. You wouldn't back against them winning another prize under the Frenchman in that one.

Still, while it may be deemed admirable to allow a man of Wenger's esteem to set his own exit date, there will be some Arsenal supporters who will point to a lack of pressure to perform and subsequent complacency showcased by the team.