Will Wenger announce departure even if Arsenal win on Thursday?

There have been thousand of Arsenal rumours regarding whether Arsenal will still be at the Emirates next season, and most pundits have said that he wouldn’t consider leaving while the Gunners could still have a chance of winning a trophy (i.e. the Europa League!) but Charlie Nicholas has a completely different view of this.

The ex-Arsenal striker seems pretty convinced that Arsenal will win easy against AC Milan. He said: “Well after the shambles of Arsenal’s last home game in this competition, when they nearly blew it against Ostersund, Arsene Wenger will play a strong line-up with a free weekend to follow.

“This team still have issues despite the 3-0 win at the weekend but they are slowly getting a response.

“I do think at close to even money it is a great price on Arsenal to win given the quality of players who should play and it is another opportunity to build momentum, and get the fans that are there on side.

“I’m actually going a step further and backing Arsenal to win by three or more goals against this bog-standard Milan side.”

BUT he still thinks that Wenger will announce that he will be stepping down at the end of the season, especially if the Emirates is still half empty on the night. Nicholas continued: “However, I also have a feeling that there might be an announcement by the manager either on Friday or over the weekend to confirm that he is going to step down in the summer, perhaps going upstairs, easing the tension and allowing the team to have a go for the Europa League without the same strain.

“He knows the fans don’t hate him, they’re just angry with him, but it was the first time I’ve heard him use the word ‘hate’ and I just think he’s realising he needs to do something to ease the anger.

“I think when he looks up and sees 25,000 fans in the stadium he created that he’ll come to a decision that something has to change.”

It is certainly an interesting theory, and it may well encourage the fans to stay away in bigger numbers if they thought it was a real possiblity. Could the empty stands really persuade Wenger to make his decision?

Darren N

30 Comments

  1. Watched Arsenal from TV all my life as i live in Africa…I’ve stopped watching premier league games cos nothing is at stake anymore. The excitement is gone

  2. another media personal attack…to create news…

    media juz love to blow things up…

    whether wenger leaves today tomorrow or next month……they just love to make things up

      1. Are you obsessed with the old far or what? Manures whole team got outplayed, nut just Sanchez alone.

    1. Hate AW as much as you like – facts remain he made Sanchez better….conververted him to top 9 and the guy had the best goals turnover of his career; Pep (who benched him all-day long in Barca) started courting him…..All the best Sanchez

  3. The half-empty stadium has become a real talking point in the media. Empty stadiums are a severe warning of a reduction in revenue, so it is the type of thing that Stan Kroenke is likely to take note of.

    Add to that our current league positon, and likely failure to win any trophies or Champion’s League football, maybe it’ll be enough to finally get Silent Stan on-board with those who would rather Wenger vacated his position sooner rather than later.

    I certainly hope so.

    1. NO reduction in revenue as season ticket holders (which is majoirty of ticket holders) pay in advance !

      1. Neil, poor actual attendance, ie bums on seats, is not just a matter of lost ticket sales, because as you so rightly state tickets are prepaid eg season ticket holders. However revenue is lost in food/drink concessions, club shop etc and empty seats are a bad look for advertisers both within ground and on TV.
        Poor on field performances in the long term affect TV exposure (more popular, higher profile teams) get more air time, particularly overseas, causing loss of advertising, sponsorship, shirt sales and attracting new supporters.

    2. I guess Sanllehi gave a hint during Arsenal members meeting before watford clash that wenger will probably gone when he mentioned more changes are coming and even said he entire 15 years at Barcelona he saw 8 managers come and do fantastic job and go – i just can’t see wenger work with Sven/Sanllehi no chemistry at all!
      they will need a new Head coach/manager to be able to listen to their opinion since they have been involves them in football but in wenger’s case the bucks stop to him which is not right at all
      Ivan is very intelligent guy like the way he put it “we need new infrastructure” which states we cant have a whole club direction on football side on single person hands those are things of the past and they have been proven for over 10 years not practically working!

  4. OT: More pressure relief……ManU and Chelsea may be out of UCL before we even kick-off on Thursday!

  5. So says Charlie Nicholas.
    Ot
    Sanchez how you feeling now? How you enjoying cl football? It’s over…..! Really? Lol

    1. spurs declining soon….highest season ticket for new stadium…

      rose, dier and toby may leave….

      once kane leaves …they will lose their scoring powers…

      they are a club running on a budget too…hence they have limited finances to spend big like city or utd

    2. We will have better team once wenger is gone!
      i dont think was wenger’s call when deadwood were shown the door Gabriel, Coq, Gibbs, debuchy,Walcott, Giroud. Welbeck also should join that train and Mert we could have done way better bringing in atleast 4 quality players to replace those Kos, Monreal,Welishere and Ramsay and Iwobi should be shown the door also – Mery should have gone after FA final and replace him with somebody quality wenger’s fault has been to keep players who are loyal to him and reward them with higher wage contract despite not helping the team all! in past happened with Rosicky, Diaby, flamini. when he brings someone in he doesnt qualify for work permit and end up going out on loan and Arsenal team suffer in terms of squad depth. Madrid, Bar and now Man city in UK are the opposite of Arsena – we are going backwards!!!

  6. Nzonzi is the kind of player we need. For God’s sake, how can wenger is unable to realise the value of having a strong enforcer, DMF in our squad. It will be useless to invest in defence without fixing this long unaddressed issue!

  7. Arsenal fans are very fickle, that and we do also own some brain dead fans who are rather into supporting a person before fotball matters. Not actuall real football fans to say. So yeh. Wenger knows about the idiots and i am sure he will come out with something like. Judge me in the end of the season. Or he will say something like i am 22 years at Arsenal, so dont tell me who I am. Always posponin facing the fault in his work.

    His ego is equal to that of Moro maybe even greater due of his power in the club. Even if Moro lost today he still thinks of himself as not at fault and special. Even if Wenger leaves Arsenal 30 points behind City and did never win a cl in 21 years, and just won only 3 epl titles, he still thinks today that he can compete and is the right man for Arsenal.

    Its either he is fraud who fakes him self to earning money and power. Or he is actually trully deluded. In case he lies, then i do hate this man. In case of him being deluded. Then i am srry for this man. And having pity for someone who represent something as great as Arsenal is a shame to this club.

    1. u are just taking this too personal and launching attack…

      how did you know all these? through the media or make things up?

      if you have a private and personal issue with wenger …please go have a chat with him privately…

      there are 100001 reasons for every issue and cases…

      1. You are to emotional when it comes to facts. Like a child who refuses to grow up and face reality.

        If he thinks that he is good enough to compete again, then he is deluded. If he thinks that he is not good enough but yet demands to continue due of his ego, then he is an enemy to this club.

  8. Season ticket holders do pay in advance but we’re only a few games left this season before next and renewals.
    Unfortunately I feel of people forgave their season tickets for the cause there would always be enough sandwich eating tourist fans and Akbs left to buy them.
    This year is the last season I believe well see empty seats like this unless seasoned Gooners who want Wenger to leave would renew just not to go, I mean who’d be that crazy with the current cost especially.
    I hope as rumoured he makes an announcement so for the last few games we can et behind the side,(and him) to win the EL and get back into the CL for next year and the NEW manager.

  9. I think we should lay off him until the end of the season. The board are not going to make a move with just a few weeks to go. We need to get behind the team as we have a chance to win the Europa Cup because being in the CL would attract a top manager like Allegri. It would also allow Arsene Wenger to leave on a relative high. I just can’t see him staying on now whatever happens.

  10. NO
    For the thousandth time. Wenger will not leave a £9 million per year job voluntarily. Few would. I wouldn’t
    Now even more so, he believes he has something to prove. He will make it a personal challenge to make it back to the Top 4. That’s his only ambition. He will see himself as our saviour if he gets us back next season

    Who shall be rid us of this meddlesome manager? Only the board ie Kroenke et al can do this. Wenger won’t do it himself

  11. hello fellow gunners, first of in my opinoin i don’t think wenger is going anywhere not untill nxt season, if he does go tho’ think he’ll make an announcement sooner that’ll be ajoy especially for me,; cz im confused what some of our fellow comrades want!

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