Having not won a trophy for nearly five years, the heartbreak of the Champions League final loss to Barcelona, Carling Cup loss to Birmingham and the recent dismal showing in the Premier League, many pundits and supporters are now calling for the head of Arsene Wenger to be axed. So much was the dismal performance of the team that even the great Thierry Henry was involved in an incident with a supporter and team captain Robin Van Persie was shown to disapproved of the infamous substitution when the Gunners took on the Red Devils.
Should Wenger choose to leave or will he be asked to leave? Now, we all know that Arsene has contributed a great deal to Arsenal, most notably the Invincibles season of 03/04 as well as engineering the move to the new Emirates Stadium. His prudence has been seen to bring the club to new heights as well as place Arsenal firmly in the good books of the FIFA Financial Fair Play Rules. Our question is however, not how shrewd a businessman Arsene is but exactly how good a coach he is and why is it that fans face the same issues during every transfer window?
What we cannot seem to fathom is this… Arsenal have sold almost every player they’ve bought for a good profit but yet they seem to have little in the war chest to spend on new quality players. We agree that buying a player is more than just the transfer fee as there are wages etc. But the issue remains that if you look at the selling to buying ratio, its quite alarming and they’ve often gone into the market for cheap deals that either do not pay off or again fall into the same vicious cycle.
So just what has happened to this once proud club that would sweep aside the likes of Fulham, Newcastle, Bolton and go head to head with the greats of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool? It seems to be quite connected to the departure of David Dein and his departure in 2006, where he was seen to be the one orchestrating all the deals for the Gunners. We feel that in his place, Wenger now has probably too much power in dictating who should be bought and this would be based on his blind faith in some players that simply are not making the mark anymore. Does the name Arshavin come to mind?
The Arsenal board are not doing themselves any favor with Stan Kroenke, the silent billionaire looking to expand his business empire. Perhaps Stan needs to understand that teams in Europe are very different from teams and sports in America. Whatever happened to Alisher Usmanov and why was he denied a seat on the board? And yet we keep reading on rising ticket prices and other areas that have incurred a greater cost to the very people who have made the team the powerhouse it is today…. the fans.
The latest news now is that Real Madrid have indicated that they would cherish the opportunity to bring Wenger to the Bernebeu. Our take is that we hope they know what they are getting into. Give Wenger the coaching job but by no means entrust the long term plans of the club to him. As a manager, he needs to understand his role and not overly dictate and control the quality of the teams and players. Let’s hope the Real board can see to that should the move materialise.
Would it be a good move? We’re caught up in this one. It would be hard to replicate the success that Wenger has brought to the club but if Mourinho does switch places, then why not? Truth is, we’ve come to see that quality of the manager is nothing without the proper backing and structure that a good board can offer for a long term success.
What do you guys think? Share your views below by leaving your comments
