Arsenal FC: Arsene Wenger Should Seriously Consider Any Real Madrid Offer

The Daily Mail reports that under fire Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has once again emerged as a prime target for Spanish giants Real Madrid. It seems that current manager Jose Mourinho is under siege amidst a fraying relationship with key players and the fans.  This could present the opportunity for an increasingly vilified Wenger to walk away from the club on his own terms.

Wenger previously turned down a lucrative offer from Madrid in the summer of 2009, at a time when he was under similar pressure from Arsenal fans demanding that more money be spent. The cerebral Frenchman was offered the chance to direct Florentino Perez's latest attempt to restore Real Madrid to the top spot in Spain and the rest of Europe.

But Wenger resisted the lure of the nine times European Cup winners and chose to remain in North London and finish his own reclamation project with Arsenal. But after being subjected to unprecedented levels of public criticism during Sunday's 2-1 defeat at home to Manchester United, Wenger may find it hard to turn down Madrid twice.

Wenger has always come across as an extremely proud man, and it must be difficult for him to hear a barrage of abuse from Arsenal fans who stand in the stadium he helped make possible. It also can't be easy to hear himself talked about by a growing number of fans and pundits, as though he is a naive novice who just got into football management last week.

Wenger values loyalty, his own to his club above all else. But he will find it increasingly difficult to desperately hold on to his last shred of dignity, as things at Arsenal move ever closer to turning nasty.

Madrid's "galatico" policy is inherently at odds with Wenger's prudent development of youth. Yet given Real's continued inability to beat Barcelona, despite heavy investment, Wenger may be given the chance to build a team the way he likes to.

Madrid are currently in pole position to capture the La Liga crown. But they have been repeatedly upstaged by Barcelona, and an embarrassing gulf in class is painfully apparent between the two sides.

That is unacceptable to the Madrid faithful, who demand a powerful team built on free-flowing and attractive, attacking football. That's a perfectly apt description of Wenger's finest Arsenal teams.

If Madrid fail to lift the Champions League trophy and once again see Barcelona walk off with the prize they treasure most, then the door could swing wide open for Wenger. A legitimate chance to win his first European Cup could be too good for Wenger to pass up.

His past achievements with Arsenal do not automatically grant Wenger the freedom to remain with the club until he decides otherwise, regardless of results. But his contributions to Arsenal, and to the game as a whole, should allow Wenger to walk away on favourable terms. As things currently stand, a move to Madrid could be the only way to ensure that.