Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 7y

Stan Kroenke backs Arsene Wenger, says it will be 'very hard' to replace him

Arsenal's majority shareholder Stan Kroenke says he remains "very high" on manager Arsene Wenger and that it will be "very hard" to replace the Frenchman once he leaves the club.

Wenger's future was one of the talking points at Arsenal's annual general meeting on Monday as his contract expires next summer. Wenger, who celebrated his 20th anniversary at the club this month, has indicated he wants to stay on but has also repeatedly said a decision won't be made until the end of the season.

Kroenke has stayed silent on Wenger's future but praised the Arsenal boss after the meeting.

"He's been a wonderful influence on the club," Kroenke told The Associated Press. "We are all very high on Arsene. We are [joint] top of the table right now."

Arsenal are level on points with Manchester City and Liverpool atop the Premier League after nine games despite a disappointing 0-0 draw against Middlesbrough on Saturday, which has improved the mood among fans.

Some supporters grew increasingly unhappy with Wenger during last season, but calls for him to step down have quieted this campaign.

Club chairman Chips Keswick said during the meeting that the club and Wenger "will sit down and discuss the future at the appropriate time."

And Kroenke acknowledged that Manchester United's struggles in replacing Alex Ferguson after he retired in 2013 shows how difficult it is to find a successor to such an influential manager.

"You see it [at United]," Kroenke said. "It's very hard. He's a great manager."

The American also owns the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, who played at Twickenham in London on Sunday, along with several other professional teams in Denver, and he paid tribute to Wenger's ability to consistently keep Arsenal near the top of the league for so many years.

Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2004 but have finished in the top four each year to secure a place in the Champions League.

"I know a number of owners that are very successful that say the same thing -- the hardest thing to do is be consistently competitive at the top of the league," Kroenke said. "Arsene has always done that and Arsenal has always been in that position. We have always been competitive.

"We may not always win the things we want to win. We are very focused on winning for sure the league. Arsene's been consistently at the top and I will tell you -- it's very, very hard to do if you look around sports."

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