Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis believes that the biggest challenge the club will face is when they have to replace Arsene Wenger.
Wenger has been the Gunners’ manager since 1996 and is under contract until June 2017. It is likely that the 64-year-old will eventually sign a new deal that will see him remain at the Emirates Stadium beyond 2017, but it is inevitable that the Frenchman leave one day.
It is the transition that Arsenal will have to undergo following the eventual departure of Wenger is a challenge that Gazidis points out as the biggest they will face as a club.
‘Arsene has been a fantastic driver and has put the club in a great, great position’, he told Arsenal’s official website. ‘The biggest challenge we’re going to face as a club is that, when that transition from Arsene to the next manager of our football club happens – and I don’t know when that’s going to be – that we come through that strongly’.
Wenger has come under fire from some supporters in recent years due to his failure win major silverware, but there is no doubt that he has been a key figure in making Arsenal one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Perhaps when the time comes for Arsenal to undergo a transition period, they can learn from the mistakes of Premier League rivals Manchester United.