Leaving Town: Will Arsène Wenger Forsake Arsenal for the Riches of Real Madrid?

Rumors regarding the future of Arsène Wenger as Arsenal manager have never been far from the headlines in recent years. However, in the last week, Real Madrid presidential hopeful Florentino Pérez has sent the rumor mill into overdrive.

Pérez, the much-maligned former Real Madrid president—best known for his controversial "galactico" approach to transfers—is making a bid to become president once again and is making some pretty bold promises in order to win the election.

The statement that he will "make Wenger both coach and general manager of Real this summer" is certainly an ambitious claim, and one that may prove rather difficult to follow through with.

In a week when Kaka of A.C. Milan turned down the riches of Manchester City, one could almost see a ray of hope, a future where football and money were, for once, not intrinsically linked. 

I mention Kaka because it proves that if Real Madrid was to go after Arsène Wenger, it could well take more than a sizeable salary to prize him away from North London.

It is no secret that some of the Wenger magic may have worn off in the last couple of seasons, but the last few seasons can hardly be called failures—depending on how one defines success, that is.

Certain sections of the media have been making lurid suggestions this season that Wenger is under pressure and that it may be time for "Le Boss" to seek new pastures. However, the short-term form of the team must be put to one side when thinking about Wenger's future.

One only needs look at the success since 1996 to see what effect Arsène Wenger has had on Arsenal Football Club. By winning the League and FA Cup double in the 1997-98 and 2001-02 seasons, and completing an unbeaten season in 2003-04, he has clearly revolutionized the club.

Yet I have heard rumblings among Arsenal fans this season that it may be time for Wenger to move on.

There may be some positives to come out of his departure, should he leave. While his passion for nurturing young talent is certainly admirable, and looks set to produce some genuine stars, especially teenage prodigy Jack Wilshere, one could could argue that a club of Arsenal's size should be chasing the signatures of top-class, proven players.

However, Wenger has signed a few big-name players for big prices that didn't necessarily pan out. For instance, Sylvain Wiltord and José Antonio Reyes were both signed for around £15 million, but never quite lived up to their price tags.

Where Arsène Wenger would be missed is in his ability to sign underperforming or unknown players and turn them into world-famous stars. There is nobody better at doing this in the modern game.

So while I'm sure the appeal of Real Madrid will not be lost on Arsène Wenger, I think he will resist the overtures of Florentino Pérez, purely because the two men have very different footballing ideals—and Pérez would be able to handle Wenger's opinions.

If Wenger was to take the manager's job at Real Madrid, he would likely insist on bringing in his own type of player instead of try to attract superstars. I doubt that he will take the job knowing that he will be under pressure to sign the likes of Kaka, Lionel Messi, and Xavi Hernández.

As such, he will probably remains with Arsenal for many years, whether as a manager or in another capacity.

The current situation at Arsenal requires patience, as the youngsters that Arsène Wenger is nurturing will not become world-beaters over night. But before people write off Wenger, they need to remember his past successes and realize that he has the ability to bring trophies to Arsenal once again.