I will say one thing for Arsene Wenger, as the Frenchman has proved that even if his Arsenal side do not have the resilience and mental toughness that he often talks about but which the football experts on TV seem unable to detect year on year.
After one of the most painful and humiliating nights of his long career on Wednesday when the Gunners fired blanks while being mowed down by the big guns of Bayern Munich, Wenger looked a beaten man and we all thought that he finally accepted that his time as the manager of Arsenal was coming to an end.
Just a few days later, however, a report in The Guardian shows that the boss appears to have bounced back and not only is he hinting about possibly staying in charge for next season but suggests that there is no reason he could not match the former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in working until he reaches the age of 71, which would mean four more years.
Wenger said, “Ferguson has some other interests in life and he was older [when he retired] than I am today. He was four years older. He retired at 71 and I’m 67.”
Asked whether that meant he planned to carry on for another four years, Wenger replied: “Maybe more, maybe less, I don’t know. Everybody is different. I do not want to take anything away from Ferguson, he was an absolutely unbelievable manager, but he had enough. He had enough. And I’m not at that stage.”
Worrying words for the long suffering Arsenal fans there, so does this mean that Wenger needs to know that the fans have had enough and want him to go. I respect him for what he has done for the club and would much prefer him to leave without being forced out and protested against. But if he is thinking about four more years, what choice do we have?
D.N.