Arsène Wenger was challenged to end Arsenal’s agonising wait for Premier League and European glory on Wednesday after being entrusted with a new two-year contract as manager.

Wenger and the club’s board finally drew a line under the most turbulent season of his 21-year reign by confirming he would remain at the Emirates until at least 2019.

Arsenal also announced Wenger and chief executive Ivan Gazidis had conducted a full review of their on and off-field activities “to build a sustained title challenge”, prompting minority shareholder Alisher Usmanov to warn that the Frenchman’s “legacy will be tarnished” unless he receives more support.

With both club and manager having refused to bow to growing fan unrest by ending what Wenger described on Wednesday as a love affair, he will now be under more pressure than ever to succeed where he has so often failed.

In the rarest of public comments, majority shareholder Stan Kroenke said: “Our ambition is to win the Premier League and other major trophies in Europe.

“It’s what the fans, players, staff, manager and board expect and we won’t rest until that is achieved. Arsène is the best person to help us make that happen. He has a fantastic track record and has our full backing.”