It was around 5pm on 17th August 2013 when Arsène Wenger would have looked up to the stands in fear. The Emirates Stadium had never been so hostile, boos ringing round an arena that had yet to see silverware in a barren 8-year period. To add to frustrations, a summer of low-key additions would be the anchor to arguing what culminated in a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa on the opening day of the season. But then it all changed.

After years of transfer market coyness, Arsenal didn’t just outspend their transfer fee record; they shattered it, signing world-renowned talent Mesut Özil from Real Madrid. After puns, smiles and blogs of joy, the fans were excited to see whether the presence of a £42.5 million signing would fast track the club on the way to becoming the force of English football once again.

Fast forward 6 months and you will find a transformed football club. A side once bemoaned for their lack of defensive cohesiveness now a side with the best defensive record in the league. Some difference considering their big signing was in the attacking side of team! Arsenal’s fortune at the back has to give credit to the hard work that Arsène and his side have put in week in, week out on the training ground.

With the watchful eye of Steve Bould, the coaching staff have been able to reduce the simple mistakes, giving Wojciech Szcsesny and his back four a chance at replicating the famous defensive basis that Arsenal traditionally were known for. On the other side of the field, Özil’s signing has given the entire squad a boost.

One time enigma Aaron Ramsey is now joint-scorer for the club this season alongside Olivier Giroud, a player much criticised by the fans, yet has scored key goals in sending Arsenal to the top of the league table. This is a testament to the huge patience and trust that the manager puts in his players.

From the jeers and testaments of the “Wenger Out Brigade” coupled with the infamous fan rant on Arsenal Fan TV where the, “total incompetence by the board and the manager,” almost led to the demise of a club known for its tradition and solidarity. On Monday, Ivan Gazidis confirmed that the Frenchman has been offered a new contract and will be signing it.

However, as stated by the Chief Executive, the announcement of this new deal, which is expected to last two years, will be made in due course. But when is the right time for such a declaration?

Top of the league and in the last 16 of both the FA Cup and Champions League, it cannot be doubted that Arsène’s team have been unstoppable so far this season (not invincible!) and this must be the prime reason for announcing a contract at the peak of this side’s talent. Last summer gave the Arsenal’s fans the buzz and confirmation that the manager feels the same passion for the club still and, despite his reluctance to spend money in the same vain as his rivals until this year, has built a team worthy of wearing the cannon on their chest.

Reports in the papers suggest that Per Mertesacker, Bacary Sagna and Tomas Rosicky are on the verge of committing their long-term futures to the club, showing how the boss still has a charm at keeping players loyal to the project he is building. Finally, the new partnership with Puma is a result of all the work that Arsène Wenger has done to keep the club consistently at the top of the league.

Nevertheless, the above reasons should not be used as justification to announce a contract extension just yet. While the club is flying high in all three major competitions, it can be argued that time may heal all in respects to previous seasons, the so-called stronger candidates overthrowing the Gunners and leaving Arsène and his army empty handed come the end of the season. Don’t perceive this as pessimism however, just a bit of perspective.

Despite the great season so far, a run that includes Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Manchester City gives Arsenal a challenge that will stretch them beyond their limits, testing the side as to whether or not they are the real deal. Added to that, the blue side of Manchester’s dynamic forward line has left critics looking behind their shoulders, querying as to whether or not Giroud, Podolski and Bendtner are strong enough to lead the line until the end of the season.

With the huge revenue coming in the summer, surely it is a chance to risk another big signing. This can give the side the best possible chance to cement their place as the leader of the domestic elite.

It’s best not to speak retrospectively, as the case put forward implies that there was complete silence on the possibility of a new deal for the manager. However, the only right time for a contract extension to be announced is at the end of the season, where the Arsenal board and Arsène Wenger could sit down and discuss the future of the club. Many questions would have to be raised.

1. Do we have a ready-made replacement manager in mind?

2. Which young players have the best chance of integrating into the first team?

3. How much financial backing will be needed in order to keep this team at the top level?

4. (Failure depending) What went wrong? Is it finally time to seek pastures new?

With a side of the Arsenal fans demanding at the start of the season that the manager and club part ways if the preceding months did not go to plan, it seems somewhat foolish to have committed to keeping the manager under the premise that we have already fulfilled our goal of the season. Regardless of whether we are contenders for trophies at this point of the season, the right time to announce the contract of Arsène Wenger should be done in four months time.

Hopefully it will be around 5pm on 11th May 2014 when Arsène Wenger looks up in the stands at delight. Only then, should it be announced that Le Professeur is in it for the long haul…

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