It’s no secret that Arsene Wenger is in the final year of his contract at Arsenal, and his reluctance to rush into a new deal has caused some serious speculation over what his next move will be.
With a new two-year deal placed on the table by the club’s hierarchy, the veteran tactician is still keeping them hanging with one thing seemingly keeping him from committing his future beyond this summer.
Wenger himself has previously stated that he wants to ensure the club’s star players put pen-to-paper before he does, but now according to the Mirror he has opened up to his close friends about the biggest reason for him holding off on staying.
It seems that the bubble coat wearing manager is aware of the animosity towards him from the stands, and witnessed his side being booed off the pitch after Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat to Watford first hand.
Currently serving a touchline ban, he had to take a seat to watch his side take a huge blow in their title hopes, his friends and allies that were sat amongst him apparently said that nobody would be thick skinned enough to not let that level of abuse affect them.
And the report goes on to claim that Wenger even told his closest friends that he is ready to end his 20 year association with the club unless he begins to feel more loved and appreciated.
It would seem that some of the personal slander towards him from frustrated fans has finally got to him and at his age, he’s quite simply had enough.
Clearly now taking his time over making a decision, Wenger has said that he could leave his final decision until April.
Wenger is still expected to stay, but there is now a real concern that he may walk away from his lucrative deal and move on to his next challenge, whatever that may be.
Both Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have flashed admiring glances towards him in the not too distant past, and the opportunity to ale over the reigns at one of those clubs and finish his career with some silverware in an atmosphere less steeped in animosity could be too difficult to turn down.