We may never know the whole truth and nothing but the truth about what went on behind the scenes at Arsenal last season, and what was the thinking behind Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal board and owner as they thought about the future and whether the Frenchman should carry on as manager, although I suspect there may be a book or two coming from the pen of Le Prof once he has finally left the club which may shed light on the whole saga.
It was certainly a strange situation as the Arsenal fans and the playing squad were left in limbo wondering whether there would be a new man in charge this season or not and Wenger has already said this summer that the uncertainty may have had a negative effect on our season.
Now we are hearing that the man himself had serious doubts about signing the new contract that was offered to him, as reported by the BBC, as he questioned his own ability to take the club and the team forward after so many years.
Wenger said, “I’ve been there for so long that you always wonder, can you still take the team to the next level?
“I’ve been at Arsenal many years and last season we struggled a lot.”
But why tell us this now I wonder? Could it be that our manager, like many of the Arsenal fans, think he made a mistake and should have called it a day after last season, especially after the FA cup trophy win gave him the chance to go out on a high. The start of this season has certainly not given Wenger the start to his new contract he would have been hoping for.
He went on, “This year we won our first game, we weren’t as good in the second match and then we had a catastrophic performance.
“But now we have to recover and, as always in a time of crisis, you have to win your next game.”
Do you get the impression that Wenger is already regretting the decision to stay on as Arsenal manager?
Bob.