Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has claimed that "nobody knows" when manager Arsene Wenger will leave the club, but insists that the Frenchman will be in charge next season.
Wenger came under fire from supporters towards the closing stages of the campaign after the team dropped out of another Premier League title battle.
Wenger has one year remaining on his current deal, but it is not yet known whether the 66-year-old, who will celebrate 20 years in charge of the club in September, plans to extend his stay at the Emirates.
Gazidis has claimed that the hierarchy are happy to keep Wenger at the helm, and will provide him with significant funds to spend in the summer transfer window.
"Because we have a highly-visible manager who represents so much continuity, there is a misplaced belief that things don't change," Gazidis told The Telegraph. "There has been tremendous change within, fully embraced and led by Arsene.
"We are in a position that we were not in four or five years ago where we don't have to sell our best players. We can go and sign world-class players if and when the manager identifies them.
"He's in his mid-sixties, it's natural to think about when his time here might come to an end, but the truth is nobody knows. He is in fantastic shape. He is deeply engaged and excited. One of the biggest challenges we will face is the transition, whenever it happens, but that is not something we are going to be facing imminently. Obviously, he is going to be managing us next year and we are planning and making many decisions for the long term."
Arsenal last won the league title in 2004.
Danielle Joynson
