article: The Frenchman arrived as a relative unknown in England, plucked from Japanese side Nagoya Grampus Eight to become only the third foreign manager to take charge of a Premier League club. After more than two decades at Arsenal, 16 trophies, a new stadium and almost £700m spent on players, the longest-serving - and most successful - overseas manager this country has known has agreed to stay on. To some, he is responsible for transforming the English game - "a great visionary", according to his former defender Martin Keown. To others, including the many Arsenal fans who demonstrated against him, his initial success petered out and he will be judged on a run of 13 years without a league title. So as Wenger now prepares for another season at the Emirates, how does his record stand up? A Premier League and FA Cup double in his first full season, a second double four years later and a team which went an entire season unbeaten - the first half of Wenger's reign hinted at greatness. After his first 10 years at Arsenal, Wenger had amassed three league titles and four FA Cups, putting him on course to rival the trophy hauls of the most successful managers English football has known. But a relatively barren second half of his tenure means Wenger stands third when judging post-war managers by trophies won. He can claim to be the most successful foreign manager in English football's history. But for how long, now that bitter rival Jose Mourinho is back in the winning groove at Manchester United? Up until this season, Arsenal had finished in the top four in every one of Wenger's 20 seasons in charge, a feat no other club had managed during that time. And that partly explains why, during this period, the Gunners' four major competitors (Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United) have had a combined 42 managers. That ability to guarantee Champions League qualification held plenty of sway with the club's board, with all the financial benefits that come with being in Europe's premier cup competition. But at times that consistency has masked a lack of competitiveness in the title race. Wenger's suggestion in 2012, following an FA Cup fifth-round exit at Sunderland, that finishing fourth was as good as a trophy - "the first trophy is to finish in the top four" - has come to be viewed as characteristic of a club that can - at the moment - no longer be considered genuine title challengers. Indeed, in 11 of his past 13 seasons, Arsenal were 10 or more points adrift of the champions. Despite getting them into the Champions League with remarkable regularity, the major omission from Wenger's Arsenal CV to date is a European trophy. Although he has won seven of 12 finals as Gunners boss, none have come in European competition. He guided the club to the Champions League final in 2006, when his 10 men were 14 minutes from beating Barcelona before two late goals ended their hopes. And that has been as good as it
summary: Arsene Wenger's 21-year reign as Arsenal manager will continue - after he agreed a new two-year contract.