Stan Kroenke Says Letting Arsene Wenger Leave Would Have Been 'Easy' Decision

Arsenal majority shareholder Stan Kroenke has said it would have been an "easy" decision not to renew the contract of manager Arsene Wenger this summer. However, he insisted the Frenchman remains the "right guy" to take the team forward. 

Wenger agreed a new two-year contract at the end of last season, having steered Arsenal to FA Cup success. But after failing to finish in the Premier League's top four, opinion is divided among supporters as to whether he should have stayed on.

Speaking to John Cross of the Daily Mirror ahead of Thursday's club AGM, Kroenke suggested keeping the veteran coach around was the sensible decision:

"It's easy to change coaches and people do it all the time. But the hardest thing is to replicate success and remain competitive.

"You have to approach it with clear-headedness, calmness, thinking for the long term rather than the short term. An easy answer is it's easy to do something. It's harder not to do something. …

“We have a lot of respect for Arsene—we are not going to be pushy about things. I think he treated us with respect as well and always has. We feel really strongly about Arsene."

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There are sections of the Arsenal fanbase that will agree with that sentiment, as Wenger has delivered stability and silverware down the years.

The previous campaign was the first time in his 21-year tenure that he hasn't qualified for the UEFA Champions League, but he has won the FA Cup three times in the past four seasons.

The midweek heroics of Eddie Nketiah in the Carabao Cup put into perspective the incredible longevity Wenger has enjoyed at Arsenal:

For some fans, though, the decision to move Wenger on would have not only been an "easy" one but a correct one too.

At times recently Arsenal have looked stale under his guidance. While they were sensational in beating Everton 5-2 on Sunday in the Premier League, already their 2017-18 campaign has been punctured by defensive issues away from home.

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That defensive frailty and lack of application has almost become a trademark of Arsenal in recent years. And while stability and FA Cups are good enough for most sides, Gunners supporters want to see the team challenging for the Premier League title again—a prize Arsenal haven't won since 2004.

As we can see here, Wenger enjoyed a lot of his biggest successes much earlier in his time at the club:

It appears he will remain at the Emirates Stadium for another two seasons at least, though, and Kroenke is happy with the job the Frenchman is doing. In 2017-18, you sense there will be some pressure applied to Wenger from the top, as Champions League qualification is surely imperative.

You wouldn't back against the manager steering Arsenal into the top four this season, though the Premier League crown appears to be beyond them. Based on what we've seen in recent years, it would be a big surprise to see Wenger clinch that prize again before his tenure comes to an end in north London.