Reshaping of the club has begun, but it will only end with Wenger by Konstantin Mitov
The transfer window is slammed shut finally, and we’ve ended up better in attack than we were before. The major thing that happened this window for me is the influence Sven Mislintat had on this. We appointed him and Fahmy and they’ve done the transfer business with Gazidis.
This is really big, because it takes some of the power off of Wenger. Now if those players fail, other reputations also sit on the line. And since today, Raul Sanllehi is starting his work as something like a “Director of football” but called differently.
In the summer we heard a lot about Gazidis leading a group of board members willing to part with Wenger, but the connection with Kroenke was too strong. Still Ivan has managed to pull some of the power away and Wenger has somewhat accepted this. Sure he has approved the signings, but he isn’t involved in the contract negotiations.
The next major thing is Ozil’s contract breakthrough. It’s still to be announced on Arsenal.com, but if he signs it’ll be a massive boost, because this is a sinking ship and it was easy to abandon it, like some players who went to Manchester. Sure we’re paying Ozil more than anybody else would, but if he left for free, he would’ve surely found a champions league team wanting him with better chances to win a title.
It’s taken to the end of the window, so it’s easy to assume that Mesut might have waited to see where are going, but adding that to the fact that we convinced PEA to join us and Mkhitaryan I can’t believe it’s just about the money. Those players are 28-29, this is likely their last big move and coming to Arsenal with Wenger in charge is very strange.
Have we convinced them that we’ll do enough player and backroom reshuffling to get us back to a fighting chance at the top? Did we sell them a project that we couldn’t sell to the Ox so he left for Liverpool? And it’s interesting to touch on the good form of players like Walcott and the Ox who never really succeeded here and think about whether we used them right?
Arsene has failed quite a lot of players throughout his career. And our current squad sometimes (especially away games) looks like it just doesn’t want to play for the manager. And look, with all the new blood influencing some of the clubs decisions, it still goes down to Wenger on the pitch.
Late subs, bad tactics, lack of defensive capabilities. This is all Wenger and I’m doubting Kroenke will move him on, but he’s been given 110 million for striking talents! If you don’t achieve anything with this, questions should be asked. But even if we signed Messi, defending like at Swansea will leave us 6th and we are 6th for a good reason.
The Europa League is the only thing that can salvage the season, because the top 4 is impossible in my opinion. And it’s not because other teams are so consistent, but because you cannot make the top 4 with just your home form.
Gazidis mentioned in an interview that the board will have a “mature conversation” with Wenger if targets are not met this season and you can read between the lines thinking this means Wenger could be gone if he fails us, and adding to an interview where Lacazette mentioned our target is the top 4, so far we’re not doing pretty.
The reshaping of Arsenal has begun, but Wenger is being left behind and I wonder if that could finally spell the end of his reign?
Konstantin
If we get top 4 or win Europa league they will let him see out his contract
If he doesn’t
Well you’ve seen American history X ….the shower scene …
Hopefully mate. I’ll honestly take almost anything if it means Wenger will leave.
If I had a cast iron promise Wenger would then be sacked, I would take one position above relegation if necessary. EVERYTHING ELSE is secondary to removing him and unless and until we do, we are merely re-arranging the deckchairs on the TITANIC.
Agreed! We have already had all the humiliating defeats a man can take, so we are used to it. Happy for more humiliation just to see Wenger walking of to the sunset with his millions.
I think that Wenger days are numbered…
So we don’t have to be happy when we loose, I mean I am never happy when we are down, cos Arsenal is my club.
Looking forward to the next season…
…and ready to enjoy good performances we give this season.
The top four and Europa League trophy are very unlikely for Arsenal. So maybe we have been watching Wenger’s last season in Arsenal.
Which is great, because many top managers are waiting for his chair, such as Enrique, Ancelotti, Allegri, Jardim, Sarri, etc.
Ancelotti Allegri Simeone Sarri.
(Hasenhuttl might be a dark horse).
One of those are the top choice, maybe the German national manager (Lowe) depending on what we see during the summer.
Lowe the ARSEnal sniffer…..not sure about him.
Where will this leave Wenger? Looking for a new job elsewhere, I fervently hope. As far away from Arsenal as possible. China will do nicely.
He could retire nicely with the salaries and gratuities from Arsenal. Or if he still has a point to prove, I am sure there are many top European clubs and big countries want his signature.
I hope he is considering of resigning at the end of this season, so we can give him a nice goodbye ceremony. I am afraid it would be too late if he insists on managing Arsenal next season.
Wenger would be perfect for the current setup at Monaco.
He’ll get them to the CL almost every year in France, develop new talents and take them to the group stages of the CL, maybe even last 16 sometimes.
But he’ll have to be removed from Arsenal unwillingly, I’m afraid.
Konstantin a well written piece. I don’t see Wenger going yet, but as you say the power has gone. Hopefully we can work on our defending as well. I’m loving the back of house changes, we appear to be a power house in that department. We as supporters have to look to the future and move on from our failings since we moved to the Emirates. Yes FA cups are great on their day, but we deserved more. Personally I believe the next phase has begun. Players will now want to come to the Arsenal as foundations for a new era are rock solid.
I’m thinking in the next few years a good run in the CL, and dreaming of another final.
I don’t care that some people on here will go on about being realists as players only come for the money, money makes the world go round, so what if PEA has 10 cars, as long as his scores the goals, I’m a happy fan
COYG
Billy
I too enjoyed the article, twas a good read. I liked your comments too.
Wake up konstintine from your deluded dream
Both our singing states that they Come to arsenal for wenger
Nobody, and i mean nobody comes to Arsenal for Wenger anymore. There was a time that they did, but no longer. How many players in the last decade has Wenger turned into gold? Bellerin, and who else? Players want to work with younger managers who have new and fresh ideas and that can actually teach them something. Wenger is done, has been for a while.
You’re saying Wenger doesn’t have pulling power for top players? You can’t possibly be serious?
That’s not a claim on his ability as a manager, but a claim on his reputation within football.
Who has Wenger turned to gold in ten years? If you have to ask that question you must not follow the club much.
He has a strong track record of having players produce their best football in their career wearing an arsenal shirt and haven’t replicated since leaving. Or taking average players and get a lot out of them. Fabregas, Nasri, Kos, RVP, Song, Hleb, Adebayor.
Come on, what a silly comment.
“….players produce their best football in their career wearing an arsenal shirt and haven’t replicated since leaving”… didnt rvp, fabregas and nasri win league trophys elsewhere
People think he failed Walcott. I see a boy with no football skill who must have been great at the old kiss chasing, absolutely zero ball control, a mouse in a duel. Wenger and the coaches used the bit of pace he had and taught him to become one of the leagues highest scoring widemen and even taught him a simple pass to help in assisting strikers. He hit his ceiling folks, Walcott became the best he could’ve ever hoped to become. He scores for Eve and fans are going on about what other coaches could’ve done with him. Believe me, Theo owes Wenger more than most any other player has ever owed his teachers. There was next to nothing to work with, but to be in the right place, know how to strike a ball through, and how to play on the last shoulder, he learned all that to a decent standard when all he knew how to do was kick a ball straight forward and try to reach it before your opponent does. He hit his ceiling people.
Exactly.
The most ridiculuous comments lately were by non fans who claimed Walcott needed more time playing through the middle, yet every time Wenger played him there, he was shit.
No one wondered how Wenger was able to turn RVP into a central forward, but not Theo?? Theo has no skills for a top 4 team.
Exactly.
If anyone thinks an attacking forward would rather be ‘developped’ by Tony-Pulis-With-Money than by Wenger, you’re being too emotional.
Now, defenders and DM, that’s a different story.
@KroenkeOut…Got to say you don’t know much if you believe what you say.
@Konstantin interesting thoughts if you filter out the bias.
Gazidis should have acted two years ago and sorted the mngt team around Wenger. He bottled it. The penny has finally dropped because people (some!) have wised up to the fact that as ceo he is not doing is job. He was being called out and is finally responding.
In the meantime Wenger has done it all. That’s meant too much distraction and too much power. We are heading back to the model we had when Dein was there at long last, which was when Wenger excelled, won the EPL, the double, got to the CL final etc.
Wengers failed players like Walcott and the ox, ‘their good form…’, is bs. How many times have we seen them put in a great game or two then do fa for the next three? You have the same ailment as Wenger, myopic vision only seeing what you want or presenting bs as reality.
Ozil can be read in many ways. Bottom line is Wenger through luck or good sense (I’ll go for the former) came out of it ok. The cynic might say Ozil waited to see who was in for him (rumours suggest Barca..unlikely, Utd..possibly, others..who knows) then took the 350k. He’ll get another great contract when he is 31 from China so the 28/29 year olds certainly have another option in 3-4 years and another ‘big pay day’. Whatever, a good result that he is hopefully locked in.
Top 4 is still possible. I know it’s just not cool to be optimistic about Arsenal but it’s two games better over the rest of the season. Win Our head to heads and we’ll see, but Caraboa cup would be great, top 4 is still a realistic possibility and Europa (I actually agree) should be the goal.
Beyond the mismanagement of AFC which is now being fixed by Gazidis (long overdue as I say and most long standing gooners will understand) I personally believe the team has been seriously screwed by the lengthy Sanchez and Ozil sagas and the disharmony it created, the bs from the press and some ‘fans’. It will be interesting to see how they perform throughout February as we just might crack on again.
The biggest issue between now and the end of the season is how we use Auba and Lacazette, how Mhkitarian fits in, that Wilshere stays fit, Ozil puts in a shift game in game out, and that Mustafi and Koz get their acts together.
Excepting City and prob Utd, Liverpool, Spuds and Chelsea are far from consistent or untouchable.
Knowing full well his days at this club are numbered.They would have been sold on the future of Arsenal not the past.
hope we get the europa league then he leaves, would love for him to retire on a high for as much as i want him out he is still part of our history and for some fans the only manager they have ever known!! but change is needed and there are really good managers that are suited for arsenal: allegri, jardim, and sampaoli are made for us and would do wonders with our current team.
but since the transfer market is shut and we going to have to wait till the summer to fix the cracks here is a list of players that would have improved the team, and sorted out those cracks.
keeper: lafont, svilar, butland, oblak, that young keeper from ajax onana, and if he wasnt destined for real i would have said donurama
defenders: de ligt, rugani, monolas, koulibaly, upamecano, gimenez, marquinos/kimpembe the list is long but anyone of these will do we need defenders, we really need at least two defenders!!
Fabinho would solve alot of our problems, he wants out of monaco and can play at DM and create competition for bellerin on the right. two weak areas covered by one player
CM/DM: we need at least one other than fabinho, coq is gone and niles is touted for that position but he needs competiton hes doing great at lb but an experienced player to emulate would be great for his growth that kid and nelson are going places!!
i also would like to ask some of our fans to be patient with iwobi he s still young and under the right manager will come good. the kid has bad decision making and terrible shooting but all that can be rectified with a better manager who would drill those basics into him. a manager in the mould of simone,pochettino or jardim would make him world class the kid’s got discipline and flair and sometimes his movement is superb other times no comment, but hes part of our youth set up and would like for him to come good. if the majority of fans are giving jack all the support to be a regular which in my opinion he will never be especially as a CM. As his body is just too weak for the PL, so he can never shield the ball in midfield and that’s a liability, you’ve seen it over and over he is good untill he comes up against a player and then we either get a foul or a counter-attack your pick of the day! hope i’m wrong about jack but i have been watching him for years now so…. why not give iwobi a chance. because if he gets to what he should be you’ll be watching okacha.
LOL just realized i got side-tracked was just supposed to leave a couple of names of DM/CM that i think would benefit the team, but i’ll leave that to you guys 🙂 . COYG
Wenger does not deserve to leave on a high. That would have been 10 years ago. He now deserves to leave in disgrace.
Wenger is like Trump he will never see his own failings thus never leave in disgrace. For Wenger, Wenger is always right.
Totally agree Chris.He is now well past his sell by date and defeats like have suffered against Bournemouth and Swansea are not only embarrassing but unforgivable.The results were bad enough but the performances are now all too familiar against theses lower ranked clubs.To expect us supporters to be blinded by League Cup Final and only a couple of decent performances so far this season is misjudging our feelings about his position
This is a very well educated and intelligent man who can have no doubts about our attitude and utter disgust for him.He has allowed for us to make this personal now and he is deluded if he thinks e can collect another years salary out our expense.He knows his control is slowly being wrestled away from him and that really says it all.Ivan G is taking control and Wenger will be raging inside with this.Did he seriously expect things to continue until he felt it was time to just walk off into the sunset?Well he now knows his time at OUR club is fast running out.The day can’t come soon enough for me.
Thats absolutely TRUE.
Wenger started great with Koscielny, Cazorla, Mert, Ozil, Alexis and MISSED the opportunity to build a great team. He never got that Defensive midfielder and didn’t get a top striker until this summer.
We would have won the PL in 2015-2016 instead of Leicester had a he just signed 2 players. Just 2 players
Story of Wenger’s career
I guarantee you he will stick with Xhaka, Eleny, Ramsey and Wilshere. No defensive midfielder. We will NOT win the PL without a strong central midfielder who can get the ball back innit
He may get a centre back but not the calibre of Verane, Howedes, Koulibali, Hummels, Bonucci, Godin
One player, we just needed a top striker to win PL in 2015/16. Giroud literally disappeared in the middle of that season. Our defence worked, with Le Coq and Cazorla in front, we allowed less then 1 goal per game and at the end we conceded just 1 goal more then two best defences that season.
From the end of that season, things started to go down and we were in free fall just a month ago. I am sure this transfer window was a turning point and we will compete for highest achievements very soon. As much as I would like for Wenger to leave on a high, I just don’t see it. The game has changed and without reliable cover for defence it is impossible to compete for PL or CL
The problem with some contributors here is that they don’t research for information elsewhere. It has been stated in many media outlets that the major factor for Aubameyang joining Arsenal was his father’s admiration for Wenger. Mkhitaryan said something near to that as has Mesut Ozil. It is some of the fans who think Wenger is rubbish! Robin Van Persie recently ranked Wenger the best manager that ever coached him. Thierry Henry, Robert Pires, Sol Campbell, Kolo Toure, Ray Parlour, Martin Keown and most of the previous players are full of nothing but praise for Wenger. Is it then not an irony that many contributors on this website have made it their pastime to denigrate Wenger at every available opportunity?
Oh no!! It is not SOME of the fans who say Wenger is rubbish.It is the EVER INCREASING MAJORITY
When we are talking about players and ex players I have to agree with @D. Rusa and @Kroenke Out, on this one. They can criticize as that is what they’re paid to do, as well as the right to, but most of them in my mind have allot of love and respect for the old man. Merson is a different cattle of fish, he speaks before thinking. Your man Robinson is another that holds no bars when asked his opinion, he unlike Merse has thought allot about it. So it goes both ways I suppose, but some fans do presume to know allot (reading between lines or an assumption) ..sometimes fairly and other time ..not so much.
Stop making things up all the players you list have said things against Wenger. They just dont dare to have open rebellion. They know he is Mr. Arsenal, and they dont want to piss the club off. They all want to have a future that relates somehow to Arsenal. So they cant openly diss the senile old man.
You would have had to live under a rock for the last decade to think that Wenger has done anything in the last 10 years.
For the first time his power seems to be waning. Here is hoping he leaves at the end of the year.
U way out of reality ma bru. a good manager is judged by team performance n table..we all now clearly see a chain of gambling behaviour mixed with Mr.I know it all coach the praising of Wenger is useless when the team is sinking please
I might be delusional but 8pts is not a big deal so long as you get a run of wins going. If it was 8 from top I’d say no chance, but 8 from top four is doable but the mistakes need to stop. Xhaka and our CB’s are killing us, also we had good shape from our midfielders helping defence out there for a bit before that Swansea horror show. We looked a bunch of kids out on a green all playing wherever the hell they wanted to play. I’m not confident we can turn it around but I remember Liverpool clawing back an 8pt gap on us before pulling a similar distance away not too long back. We used to give a decent showing when CL place was at stake but these players just have too many mistakes in them. Maybe if they went back to basics a little just until some confidence creeps in. Try and nick some games due to our superior forward line while the other players remain cautious. I don’t know, but am gutted from what I saw on Tue, and answered yes when admin asked did that result take away some of the shine from our transfer business.
I strongly disagree players don’t want to come to arsenal because of wenger. I wonder what this players sees in that man, maybe because he is loyal to the core. the Arsene I know will give you all the time you need to proof him right even if you are playing like Debuchy.
well I just feel this man can do better only if he can put down his ego and admit he isn’t good at developing defenders thereby giving the defensive job to his assistant.
it’s so annoying how we defend. gosh! our defenders always look at the ball but not the man that will get the next pass
That’s a good point, actually, not all players would revel in fighting for their spot at a large cash rich trophy hungry club, not if they can get the same money elsewhere.
If Wenger came out and said this was his last season I would support him 100% until the end of the season and overlook all his obvious shortcomings.
Come on man, who would give up a multi million dollar salary with no accountability. Wenger is a genius when it comes to managing money. Honestly, letting wenger make the call about his exit would be disrespectful to the fans. He should be sacked by the board.
I think if you were a balanced person and who earned that type of money for a long time you would retire and enjoy the little that is left of your life. Only an unbalanced addict detached from reality would continue IMO. Another 10 million for Wenger won’t change his life style.
It’s not about money for Wenger.
He’s simply:
1.addicted to managing
2. without other things in his life
3. replacing a son he never had with some of the players he likes (who he then keeps even if shit).
I bet he would stay for free just so he could look into those deep eyes our Aaron has. 😀
You all have high expectation of Kroenke and our board. Don’t think wenger is going anywhere. When we said winning the league was the target, top 4 was acceptable. So with top 4 as the target, top 6 will be acceptable. We are very capable of losing the 6th spot as well but I still don’t see a wenger sacking at the end of the season. If it had to happen, they would have done it now.
Not a bad winter window. Next window I would buy Leon Bailey, buy high quality CDM, buy high quality CB.
lol not sure on my CDM or CB choices. Seri?
This is my more realistic dream summer window… my real one would be Wenger/Kroenke out.
Some players are playing for money not for Arsenal. Money is not a motivator on the field of play. For this reason I suggest Wilshere should be made captain, he is Arsenal through and through.
This “if we bought Messi nothing would change” thing is getting old, KM. Same as everything else. You keep repeating yourself, and you keep saying the same non-sense without backing it up with stats and facts. You said we won’t sign PEA. We did. You said Ozil will not sign a contract extension. He did. And that’s WITH Wenger still in charge. Truth of a matter is that he still has power, and influence. He’s still able to bring top talent, and develop it. RvP himself said a few days ago that Arsene is the best manager that he’s played under. So nobody takes your conspiracy theories and other BS that gets spit out of your mouth seriously anymore. You called Wenger a clown the other day. Sorry, I don’t buy that. The only clown I see here is YOU.