Wenger buoyed by FA Cup victory as Arsenal set to decide his future

Arsene Wenger insists he will head into Tuesday’s board meeting to discuss his Arsenal future perfectly equipped with all he needs to secure a new contract – namely a replay of Saturday’s 2-1 FA Cup final win over 10-man Chelsea.

It remains unclear whether the 67-year-old will continue as manager of the Gunners, despite capping a disappointing season with a record-breaking victory over the newly crowned Premier League champions.

Wenger has come in for criticism from a number of Arsenal fans this season after the club failed to reach the Champions League for the first time in 19 years, with protests calling for the Frenchman to leave when his current deal expires next month.

Arsenal finished fifth in the league, having crashed out of the Champions League following a 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich. But Wenger, and his Arsenal players, redeemed their campaign to secure a record 13th FA Cup success for the club.

Wenger revealed after the game that the Arsenal board will hold a meeting on Tuesday, with his future expected to be decided. And the Frenchman believes the victory over Antonio Conte’s Chelsea is proof enough that he is the right man to continue as Arsenal boss.

Asked if he would be preparing a presentation ahead of the meeting, Wenger said: “The best presentation is to watch the game. I’ve played until the end of my contract, which is today basically. I think I have shown you that I have exactly the same commitment.

“For me, the contract does not have special meaning but, because of the debate, maybe I should have sorted that out earlier.”

As well as Arsenal moving ahead of Manchester United as the most successful team in the history of the FA Cup, Saturday’s win also secured Wenger’s spot as the competition’s best manager.

He overtook George Ramsay, who won six FA Cups with Aston Villa between 1887 and 1920, as he secured his seventh success.

Wenger berated those fans who had called for his exit during matches in the latter part of the season, but said he does not have to hold it against them in the long-run.

“I am a forgiving man,” he said. “You cannot be in this job (if you are not forgiving). This job is basically trusting human beings. If you cannot forgive, you cannot trust. The only bit of advice I have for young coaches, if you have a tendency to be paranoid don’t do this job.”