Ornstein, Cross: Arsene Wenger pens contract extension

David Ornstein and John Cross have come out within the last few hours to signal that their sources have indicated Arsene Wenger’s walked out of the Arsenal Board meeting, and private meetings with majority owner Stan Kroenke, with a freshly-signed two-year contract extension, and that an announcement from the club and manager will come tomorrow:

Ornstein - the most trusted Arsenal source in existence - hasn’t fully-committed to the contract extension news like Cross did, but if this indeed turns out the way both journalists have reported today this bit of news shouldn’t be too much a shock to fans and observers, knowing the facts of the story.

It’s long been known that Wenger has held in his hand since last November a contract extension, and Kroenke’s been one of his most passionate supporters within the walls of the club. While Arsenal failed to net Champions League qualification for next season due in large part to a malaise formed under a cloud of the unknown regarding the futures of Wenger, Mesut Özil, and Alexis Sanchez, they rebounded quite well leading up to the end of the campaign under a new formation and capped off the season with a FA Cup trophy and 75 league points - third-most points since their move to Ashburton Grove in 2006.

And it appears that, according to Ornstein, while this contract extension may be in large part a bridge from Wenger to an eventual replacement, it’s not just for continuity’s sake:

The businessman has privately reiterated his support for the manager and his commitment to providing him with the resources he needs to win the Premier League title.

[Insert your stock, standard “Stan Kroenke doesn’t want to win things’ narrative here and below in the comments]

UPDATE: