5 Reasons Why It Might Be Time for Arsene Wenger to Retire as Arsenal Manager

With all the talk about whether Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez will extend their contracts with Arsenal, it’s sometimes overlooked that a more pivotal figure’s deal expires even sooner.

Manager Arsene Wenger now has less than six months remaining on his contract, and as yet, it's unclear whether he will choose to stay on or say goodbye to the club where he has spent two decades.

There may not be an answer for a good while yet. When Arsenal were last in this position in 2014, they had to wait until the end of the campaign before Wenger officially put pen to paper.

Per Darren Witcoop of The Independent, Wenger defended his decision to bide his time:

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I've always said that I will judge where I stand in the spring and make my decision then. And the club is free as well. It's not because I'm here a long time that I have any rights. We are both on the same boat.

There are plenty of managers who arrived at the end of their contract. It happened to me before. I signed sometimes in March, April for longer contracts. So I don’t think it’s a problem.

"

He has certainly earned the right for a little deliberation. Every time Arsenal have been down this path before, Wenger has ended up extending. However, with the Gunners boss set to turn 68 in October, there is plenty of talk to suggest it could finally be time for the great man to retire.

In this piece, we identify five factors that could give Wenger cause to call it a day, ranking them by how influential they might prove to be in his decision.

5. His Rivals Are Outstripping Him

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Antonio Conte's performance this season has put Arsene Wenger in the shade.

Arsenal fans must cast envious glances at Chelsea and Liverpool these days. While Wenger is still largely revered, it's impossible to ignore the impact Jurgen Klopp and Antonio Conte have made at Liverpool and Chelsea, respectively.

With a clutch of new signings and a few tactical tweaks, Arsenal have improved this season. However, a glance at the Premier League table shows that their rivals are improving even faster. There is a coaching revolution underway in the Premier League, and Wenger is in danger of being left behind. 

However, Wenger is unlikely to shirk the challenge. He will believe he can overcome younger competitors, as he has done in the past.

4. The Fans Are Unsettled

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Arsenal fans protest against the manager in 2015.

The 2016/17 campaign has thus far been a relatively peaceful season for Wenger. However, it's easy to forget that just 12 months ago he was being barracked by supporters at every turn. There were protests and banners in the Emirates Stadium stands indicating that some fans felt his time was already up.

While things have been significantly more serene this season, it wouldn’t take much for those tensions to resurface. Every disappointing Arsenal result seems to open a Pandora's Box of gripes and grievances. 

Right now, Arsenal are on the cusp of dropping out of the title race. A few more defeats would end their hopes of reclaiming the Premier League, and frustrations would bubble up all over again.

When Wenger faced the ire of the fans last season, he had the security of a further 18 months on his contract. With his situation now so precarious, the dissent from the stands would be all the more potent.

The reason this issue doesn't figure higher on the list is simply that the fans don't hold too much sway at Arsenal. The decision about Wenger's future will be made between manager and board, and neither have shown a particular desire to reflect the wishes of the supporters. 

A full-scale rebellion would be required for majority shareholder Stan Kroenke and Co. to heed the fans' opinion on Arsenal's managerial future.

3. Arsenal Could Be About to Enter Another Transitional Period

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Arsene Wenger runs the risk of losing stars like Mesut Ozil.

Wenger's is not the only contract Arsenal are discussing at the moment. There are plenty of players who face an uncertain future—not least Ozil and Alexis, whose present deals expire in 2018.

However, they are not alone in that. The likes of Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wojciech Szczesny all have contracts with just 18 months to run.

Two of the squad's most experienced players, Per Mertesacker and Santi Cazorla, have even less time remaining on their deals. Wenger has indicated a willingness to keep that pair, but with doubts over their fitness, nothing is certain.

The next couple of years could be a time of major upheaval in the Arsenal squad. Does Wenger have the stomach to oversee another rebuilding?

Losing either Ozil or Sanchez would create a massive void in the Arsenal side and be a huge setback to Wenger's plans. Perhaps it would be better for a new man to lead the remodelling of the squad.

2. Fatigue

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Arsene Wenger may be feeling the strain after 20 years at the top.

After 20 years as Arsenal manager, perhaps Wenger will simply be exhausted.

All managerial jobs are stressful. However, over the past decade, the position with the Gunners has been particularly fraught with tension. Wenger has had to oversee a stadium switch, opening under punishing financial restrictions.

It certainly seems to have taken a toll on him. Wenger is not the professorial figure he once was, frequently cutting a frustrated figure on the touchline. The strain must be huge.

The Arsenal boss is a workaholic and football obsessive, but at some stage he will know enough is enough. We are surely approaching the point when Wenger decides the best thing for his health and his sanity is to walk away from the pressure cauldron that is Arsenal Football Club.

1. Arsenal's Top-Four Place Could Be Under Threat

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Arsene Wenger's top-four spot is under threat from Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.

This, surely, is the single biggest determining factor in Wenger's decision. The manager's willingness to continue is inextricably linked to his assessment of his own competence—as long as he feels he is delivering, he will be happy to continue.

The minimum requirement is a place in the top four in the Premier League. Year after year, Wenger has ensured the Gunners qualify for the Champions League, overcoming some remarkable odds and significant points deficits to achieve that.

This year might be different. The competition for the Champions League spots is more intense than before. A top six have broken away from the pack, and right now, it's the two Manchester clubs who sit outside of the Champions League places. It's hard to imagine them letting elite European football slip away without a fight.

If this is the year that Arsenal tumble out of the Champions League places, it might be the thing that forces Wenger to fall on his sword.