Wenger accused of outstaying Arsenal welcome by the man who appointed him

The long-serving Frenchman has resisted calls to step aside in the recent past, but has been urged to walk away by former chairman Peter Hill-Wood

Posted Saturday, March 03, 2018 by Goal.com

Arsene Wenger has been accused of outstaying his welcome at Arsenal by Peter Hill-Wood, the man who appointed him back in 1996.

Arriving in England as a relative unknown, the Gunners could never have imagined that 22 years later they would still be working under the guidance of the long-serving Frenchman.

Wenger has proved to be a shrewd addition, with three Premier League titles and seven FA Cup triumphs secured during his reign, but the general consensus among a growing number of Arsenal supporters is that a change in the dugout is required.

Calls for a parting of ways are mounting during another testing campaign, with former club chairman Hill-Wood conceding that an iconic figure is in danger of causing lasting damage to his legacy.

"I clearly am not very happy about what is going on," Hill-Wood, who stood down at Emirates Stadium in 2013, told the Daily Star.

"I think that there probably ought to be a change of management.

"He has done fabulously well, it is just he has overstayed his welcome.

"I find it very sad because he was the great love of many and then it [overstaying his welcome] has destroyed it all."

Wenger finds himself under pressure from supporters, former players and pundits, but he has stubbornly refused to waver in his stance.

The 68-year-old has always maintained that he is the best man from the job in north London and he has offered no indication that he is about to walk away.

Quizzed on his current situation, Wenger has said: "I am always ready for a fight. I am of course very disappointed but I have experienced these situations before.

"Yes of course [I am as confident as ever]. I have been in these situations in my life and I know what it takes - experience and the desire to change things.

"Does that desire still burn as strongly? Of course."