Arsene Wenger has been the target of fan fury and media speculation since the club’s defeat by Blackburn in the FA Cup and their 1-3 loss at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. But Wenger retains the support of the Arsenal board with owner Stan Kroneke expected to emphasise his backing for the belaguered manager at today’s monthly board meeting.
Arsene Wenger has been the target of fan fury and media speculation since the club’s defeat by Blackburn in the FA Cup and their 1-3 loss at home to Bayern Munich in the Champions League. But Wenger retains the support of the Arsenal board with owner Stan Kroneke expected to emphasise his backing for the belaguered manager at today’s monthly board meeting.
The next challenge is to secure Champions League qualification for the 2013-14 season, something which they have achieved under Wenger for 15 successive seasons. However, Arsenal could survive a failure to qualify, at least in financial terms, although it would be a further blow for fans.
Failure to qualify would cost them £30m next season, but the club’s latest accounts show cash reserves of £154m. Around £60m of that is required for running the club, leaving £60m for a transfer kitty and £30m to offset the loss of Champions League income (the sum obtained from Europa League qualification would be trivial by comparison).
The club is also facing a financial turning point. A five-year £150m shirt sponsorship deal with Emirates will start next season. In 2014 Arsenal are hoping to double their kit income to £24m by switching from Nike to adidas.
The club also hopes that Uefa’s financial fair play policy will curb the spending of their rivals. That has always been the riskiest element of their strategy. If the club failed to qualify for the Champions League, it would also affect their ability to attract the best players.