The 59-year-old was greeted with the headline 'Arsene who?' in the Evening Standard when he arrived from Japan 13 years ago, writes Stewart Coggin. Three league titles and four FA Cups have provided a comprehensive response to that question. His multi-faceted approach to management has left an indelible mark on the English football landscape, so much so that Arsenal are willing to employ Wenger for the remainder of his lifetime.

Wenger's initial masterstroke was to sign Patrick Vieira. But that was only the first in a seemingly endless string of shrewd transfers. Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Nicolas Anelka, Thierry Henry, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor and several others were all signed by the Frenchman for bargain fees and were sold on at a substantial profit. Wenger is a canny buyer with the knack of selling on for a huge profit just when the player has passed his peak. Indeed, few have gone on to better things after leaving.

But it is not only in the transfer market where Wenger has excelled. He brought with him from Japan a template for the perfect player diet - with a heavy emphasis on fish and boiled vegetables - and believes a player cannot expect to perform at an optimum level without putting the right things into his body.

Due to the debt incurred in the move to the Emirates Stadium, the Frenchman has put more emphasis on youth in recent seasons, refusing to spend beyond his means. While some fans have become impatient for success after four trophy-less seasons, many others see the merits of planning for the long-term. Gael Clichy is certainly an advocate of Wenger's future thinking.

"He brought us here and we have all been playing together for four or five years, so of course we have faith in him," said Clichy. "In the last few years, we haven't won anything and people have talked bad about him. But we have to think about what he has done for the club.

"He has been here 13 years and I think Arsenal is today one of the best clubs in Europe. For me a big part of that is because of the boss. We have to give him credit."

Cesc Fabregas arrived at Arsenal when he was 16 and if ever a player epitomised and justified Wenger's policy, it was the Spaniard.

"He has been the most important influence in my short career," Fabregas revealed. "He took me here, made me train with the first-team when I was 16 years old - I was training alongside Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira so I was lucky to learn from the big players.

"For me it was a very big step forward. The manager took the risk to put me in the team. I have to thank him for that and now I have to pay him back for what he has done for me."

An advocate of the beautiful game, a shrewd investor, a developer of talent, and a nice guy to go with it. The Frenchman's clever quips regularly induce laughter in press conferences, while Wenger prides himself on his ability to remain even tempered with his players even when performances and results have not gone their way.

"Wenger has never stopped surprising me with his never-ending positive state of mind," said Bacary Sagna, a £6m purchase from Auxerre who slotted seamlessly into the Arsenal back-four.

"Even if our adversary is leading at half-time, he remains calm, precise, and says the right words. He never gets mad."

It is not just his current charges who speak positively about Wenger. Thierry Henry was sold to Barcelona in 2007, while Alexander Hleb followed him to the Nou Camp a year later. Both are glowing in their praise.

"He is the guy that makes you realise you can do anything you want," Henry said. "It is a pleasure to play and train with him. He is a great human being on top of everything."

Hleb added: "Arsene Wenger, for me, is like a father. He gave me a lot and I learned a lot from him.

"If Arsene Wenger stays at Arsenal, they will always play at the top."

And that's the plan. Chairman Peter Hill-Wood has made no secret of the fact that Wenger has the job as long as he wants it: "I can see him doing it for another 10 years, but of course that is up to him."

Wenger relishes the freedom bestowed on him by the board and the prospect of witnessing his young team repeat the club's title successes of 1998, 2002 and 2004 means it would be no surprise to see him renew a contract that expires in 2011.