Arsene Wenger, in an interview with L’Equipe magazine, has hinted that this may be his final season in charge of Arsenal.
Asked if the project he has put in place was a long-term one, Wenger replied, “No. For me we’re now talking short term, it’s obvious. But whether it’s with me or someone else, it changes nothing. My successor needs foundations on which he can be successful”.
He spoke about the departures of Nasri and Fabregas, saying it was ‘hard to take’ that players of 24 wanted to the leave club. “For first time I lost young players, who were reaching maturity. I suffered. It’s painful to lose key men you’d invested a lot in”, he said, and spoke suggested that bad results last season ‘broke the squad. They could have been extraodinary. I often call it ‘the season of the last minute'”.
When asked if he would be in charge of Arsenal next season, said, “We’ll look at things at the end of this one”.
Wenger’s contract runs until 2014 but clearly he’s considering his future very carefully. The knock-on effects of his departure might also worry Arsenal fans. This week Robin van Persie lauded the Frenchman for the impact he’s had on his career and with just 12 months of his current deal left the departure of Wenger could influence the decision he has to make about his future.
The front cover of the L’Equipe magazine is below and the caption reads, ‘What is hard is the feeling that something is finishing’.
Translation via @Matt Spiro
*Gulp*
Le NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Arsene Wenger is not only a top football manager but he is a remarkable man. He is honest, passionate, loyal and has always been 100% commited to the cause. The man breathes football, he has strong values and wants to play the game the proper way, on and off the pitch. Are there many people around like him? I really doubt it…
Nice tie.
and don’t go Arsene!We need you more than ever with more moneybags emerging by the day…
Please tell me this is a joke?
Not cool. Not cool at all.
And then the moronic minority will realise what we have lost…
bloody hell. he’s right though, if he kept them together, or perhaps rather they chose to be – they really could’ve been extraordinary. it’s always fucking irked me how people leave arsenal when they’re young – wenger having built their career – and then spunk on about how awesome he was to them. no shit cunt. why don’t you fucking well stay then, show some love right back? i know it’s not like that, really, in reality. i guess i think i might understand and empathise just a little, with how it must feel to be arsene. it’s not a… Read more »
I’ve just heard that we made a profit of more than 50 million quid last year. Now I understand just why we couldn’t afford to sign a decent second striker.
I guess spotting, negotiating and signing a second striker is a very easy task for football managers.
Yes because we are having so much trouble with our strikers right now. People like you make me wonder….
Painful! Really don’t wanna see that happen anytime soon. He is the face of this great club..we have managed to remain competitive without money because of him
Is today April 1st ????
Please tell me this is’nt so….my heart just jumped a bit when I read this. Painful if its true… but its up to us the supporters and the team to change his mind. He has taken a lot of shit from all direction this past three / four years. Lets start a new chant (Wenger In…..Wenger In) Blessed
Fuck Nasri for breaking this old man’s heart… and by extension, all of ours too.
See all these stupid people who said they wanted Wenger to leave this year, well how ya feeling now?
I hope he doesn’t leave yet, wanted him to at least see his contract thru as we all know he won’t renew it.
Hopefully we can win something then least he can leave on a high note.
The Arsenal will survive without Arsene…but DAMN I don’t want to see him leave.
How dare you report this as an Arsenal fan!
We have all the papers, TV and radio stations against us so lets all do ourshelves a favour not add to the rubbish they say.
Wenger is not leaving, let me repeat Wenger is not leaving!!!!!!!!!
Wenger wants to stay as long at Arsenal as Fregusonat Man Utd(25 years)
any one fancy a petition to rename a stand Wenger?
@surreygunner
These are his quotes. They haven’t just been made up.
SurreyGunner
November 19, 2011 at 10:21 am
Oops! wrong approach my web friend . But you show you passion.
Shouldn’t the stand be call the “I didn’t see it” stand?
Do you blame him? Really? When 6 weeks ago so many Arsenal fans were calling, shouting even, for his resignation. He’s not said he’s leaving. He’s just avoiding putting himself into an untenable position.
I think if he said he wants to leave I won’t be surprised.
What with the ungrateful bunch of Arsenal fans he has to serve. I bet that same bunch will still be happy to see the back of Arsene.
Unlike Steve Kean, Arsene has absolutely nothing to prove so he doesn’t really need to stay. Despite this he’s still going strong as Arsenal manager. I just can’t fathom how the retarded naysayers at the start of the season has gone so fucking quiet.
They should have a proper bloody look at themselves first.
Oh No! Hope it is just a way of expressing his disappoint with Nasri and some fans. But, if Walcott and Van Persie does not follow Vermalen example, I fear it may just give the Boss the push. So sad.
We should start a champaign to show our support and show that those who support him are a significant majority
The fucking board should support him by given out the contracts to the players, they expect the fans to fork out top price to see the team play, if he does go it will be a sad day for us gunners, the man is a legend working with one hand tied behind his back and na£si can go fuck himself to
He didn’t mean it… no really he didn’t… he won’t leave us… he won’t. He is going to be with us until he’s 90… lots of year yet… end of story.
It will be heartbreaking if he goes at the end of this season – but what a journey it will have been.
You may not agree with his tactics or substitutions or what have you, but you have to admire Arsene for sticking to his principles no matter what. That is called integrity, and it is part of what makes Arsenal the club it is.
I was sort of regretting come back to these boards until I read this post and to a lesser degree Mooro’s.
I’ve not seen you on here before (might be pure chance i’ve missed you) but it’s a welcome sight to see a bit of sense. Possibly the best post I’ve seen on here in a long time.
I’m thinking this is the same sort of talk players do when they are looking to renew a contract..things are going well again and hints at moving, put a little bit of doubt in the boards mind = more money? I hope this is right as I really would not want him to leave!!
Maybe the new manager will actually be able to coach a team on how to defend properly.
Maybe you’re not a gooner…. just fat.
No. I’m just not a blind fool who thinks that any manager is bigger than the club. This ‘genius’ has won nothing in six years, so if he wants to go then good riddance. At any top European club a manager is judged on the trophies he wins. No matter what he has done in the past, Wenger’s recent record has been awful. He would not have survived at Real Madrid, Barcelona or Man United. The difference at Arsenal seems to be that the fans and Board have no ambition, so he can fail year after year and yet still… Read more »
Fatgooner
November 19, 2011 at 11:25 am
Wow Are you on some bonus reward scheme. Because everyday its the same SPAM.
I suppose the seasons where Arsene Wenger a lot of trophies indicate nothing as to his coaching prowess.
Behold, Jose Mourinho, tactics that shut down attacks as opposed to the dreaded Arsene Wenger who searches for aggressive movement and risky technical high-line play.
Congratulations.
bullshit.. every year we hear something new about arsene leaving. people need to understand arsene is working on a long term plan. he wouldn’t buy players like oxlade chamb or campbell if he was leaving. we used to hear these reports when he was developing players like fabregas and song. what arsene has in his mind is something special and he will not leave until he gets there.
a message to all the haters.. in arsene we trust!
The problem is this one is officially put in a respectable magazine like L’equipe (note NOT MARCA).
Cesc Fabregas was rumoured to be leaving for a lot of seasons. That last season, he didn’t say a single thing and turns out he left. Just because the media has betrayed your trust numerous times does not mean that it’s always wrong.
The world will realize his greatness when he is not there. We Arsenal fans are indebted to him and should be forever because in a world of inflated egos and exorbitant money, he has stood by integrity, dedication and class. The players may come and go but there will always be only one ” Sir Arsene Wenger”
We’ve heard similar before. Couple of years ago he flirted in the press with the Madrid job. What followed were marches asking him to stay. He knows what he’s doing.
He’s also said very recently he always honours his contracts, and indeed historically he has always done so. Would be very strange for him to deviate from one of his inviolable principles now. I suspect he’ll be here until 2014.
Relax guys. He ain’t going anywhere, especially n I’m sureot not next season.
I’m sure he will see his contract .
Lequipe is always printing shit like this.
I do agree though.
Arsene Wenger looks more like the type who will honour his contract. He has stated a lot of times before that he would do so either way.
lequipe is the most higly rated sport newpaper and most sold in europe.they sold more than any daily paper in france because you know you wont read shit
they arent affiliate to any club and political party in france like marca and other european paper,,dont have nay
if they print something its 99% always true and i never see them write bogus story like other sport paper and like the shit sold in enlgand aka sun and the rest
Do not go mr Wenger. Quite simply. You are our club.
actually our club is The Arsenal. regardless of who’s in charge im Arsenal til i die. but….. i dont want to see him go.
arsene made this arsenal and i have to admit, he is arsenal.
I’m sure those turds on onlinegooner will be thrilled at this news.
and le moan reader
Now we all know how the media like to blow things well out of proportion. So I wouldn’t read into it too much. And also, this is a french source and we all know the French are clowns… Arsene is going no where. As he said be fore, he always honours his contract agreement. Bosh.
Wenger is an idealist. He wants to build a team like Barcelona/Brazil. Total football. Nasri and Cesc were a big part of that dream, especially Cesc. I think he belives the dream is broken, even though to my eyes the teams is stronger now than it was last season – Wenger doesn’t see this as ‘his’ team.
lets hope he starts to believe he can re-build his dream at Arsenal.
I can understand why he would go out and say this to be honest. Ungrateful, selfish, greedy bastards like Nasri, Flamini, Hleb, Adebayor and Cashley to name a few mean that Wenger has never been given the chance to properly assemble a great team. Everytime he’s tried, the players he has made great leave for more money and show absolutely no gratitude for all the work he has put into their development. Now after all these insults he risks losing Walcott and RVP too! Why is this allowed to go on? Why is Arsenal, one of the great clubs in… Read more »
I think the problem is one of time. I’d always thought he’d see out his contract to 2014, but the loss of Nasri, Clichy, and Cesc have been real blows to his desire to build a new team comparable to 2004. You can see that Santos, Arteta, Rosicky, Arshavin, Benayoun, and Park are all short term signings. They are never going to be a fundamental part of his 2014 squad. This means that his legacy team has to come from younger signings and what we have already. Wilshere, Ramsey, Szczesny, Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Walcott all ought to be future fixtures. But… Read more »
I’m Sorry but the team we have at the moment are far better than the Cesc/Nasri team. When will people start to realise that. The amount of progress this team have made in such a short space of time is fantastic. Stop whining and start supporting! 🙂
Please Dont Go
A Medley modified from K.C and his Sunshine band famous song
If you leave, at least in our life time
We had one dream come true
We were blessed to be managed
by someone as wonderful as you
So Arsene please don’t go
don’t go, don’t go away
please don’t go
don’t go, We are begging you to stay
BUT you are not leaving, so there!!!!!!!
You’re embarrassing.
Saw this coming to be honest. Him doubting whether he will stay another season. Just wanna see the faces of all those moronic minorities and a fat lard called Piers Morgan. They can say “wenger out” but in truth have they thought of a realistic replacement? Ha.
Jesus. I only tuned in for a bit of a pre-match grin this morning. Now feel like someone’s set a pitball to my knackers.
Let’s hope it is a message meant for others, but you always had the feeling Cesc leaving was a particularly bitter pill to swallow for him.
I suggest we make the most of him, and show how much we appreciate what he’s done for our club, while we’re still lucky enough to have him. However long that is.
What if the new manager comes in fixes the defence and wins a trophie first time.. How bad would this make arsene look! Just a thought…
The defence is already fixed. Duh?…..
What about all that bollox about honouring your contract. His runs til 2014 at least. For all the fighting talk and the will to win, this seems a little defeatist tbh. He’s gonna let nasri’s departure affect his future at the club? Don’t lower yourself Arsene. Your players have always wanted to leave early. Look at Vieira every Summer. Even Henry towards the end! Nasri’s left for the money on offer and that has nothing to do with whether he’s 24 or 32. Why is he being so frank with the French press and not us? Does he think that… Read more »
I’d remind people that manners are expected, any personal abuse means your comment will be deleted, and even if you don’t agree with another person’s point of view, you allow them to express it.
The man has always said that he respect his contracts. Given that, I´d be very surprised if he just quit in the summer.
The real crime was never investing and strengthening when we had prob the best midfielder in the world, Cesc. Hard to know if that was down to AW or the board. Either way I for one have never wanted AW to leave and it saddens me to hear these ‘new fan’ muppets at the grove calling for his head. He deserves our full respect for what he has done for us
Looks like some people are going to get what they want, and then those same people will be moaning when it goes tits up even more…be carful what you wish for gooners!!
I think he will leave in 2014. Whoever replaces him (and like arseblog said a couple of months ago it would be great to see Stojković) could well be more successful than him in terms of trophies. Just think of what an amazing position Wenger has left the club in: we have an amazing stadium, training ground, brand new medical centre, and some fantastic young players coming through in pretty much every position. And unlike those cunts at Man U we will soon be free of debt. Just think, when we no longer have that to pay back and are… Read more »
I have to disagree with your ‘pile of shit’ comment. When AW took over we had Seamen, Dixon, Adams, Bould, Keown, Winterburn, Parlour, Platt, Bergkamp and Wright. He built on that and took it to the next level, but he did not take over a failing club with crap players, far from it.
Just remembered why I stopped reading and replying to news articles… Thanks for the reminder 😉 If you have an objective opinion that isn’t entirely sycophantic then expect to be flamed…. Score. As great a manager as Arsene Wenger is it still isn’t crystal clear as to whether it’s him or the board that is ultimately responsible for our piss poor management of the transfer windows. Or could it be a culmination of both? Could it be that Arsene has put too much faith in certain players who were average at best (e.g Bendtner)? What also really irks me is… Read more »
The ‘ oh our world has ended’ scenario is frankly pathetic. We existed successfully as a club and amassed ten titles before Wenger arrived. We also managed two European trophies before he came, something we haven’t added to since. People need to get real. Who knew of Wenger before he came ? Very few. All the talk was of Cruyf. So the next guy will probably surprise a few – and more. Who could take over ? Could do a lot worse than make an in house appointment in Bouldy. Knows the Club. Loves the Club. Was a title winner… Read more »
Sorry, Arsene has to go
This news has the same effect as finding out that a loved one has a terminal disease.
Notice that now we are winning that there are no dumb cunts shouting get him out. If he leaves there is nobody out there good enough to replace him, in Arsene we trust..
Man o Man this is really bad timing and may come of the back of the wankers on the board trying to take more money. We will loose RVP and a few others if Arsene leaves.
Arsene has done this for a reason and it may well be the fact that the board are not supporting him he loves this club and we love him not in a man love kind of way more of a teacher that you liked at school because he connected with you.
Not in a shower kind of connect with you either
Arsene just now: “I am completely committed to this club. It is the club of my life. It was a conversation where I said that if you don’t do well enough, that is the only way I would consider it [leaving] – if I am below what is expected of the club.”
You’re all working yourselves up! Chill out! The club is making serious progress. While the new players may not fit in Arsene’s vision, he can’t deny that their heart and love of the jersey is a welcomed change. Can we please shut up about Cesc? Watching him play against England, I’m glad to have that bitch gone! He is not the type of player I want on my side when the battle gets tough. Sure when things are going well he’s awesome to watch, but things get tough and he turns into a hotheaded Barcelona cunt. He deserves Alves. So… Read more »
Phew!! I saw his comments after the Norwich game. Wenger is one of the best around. No other manager has been so consistent and still turned a profit on transfers!!
In Arsene we Trust
wow you lot are utter plebs. Clearly you don’t think before you type. Wenger has never broken a contract in his life, why would he start with his last? Not to mention the fact that L’equip taking the sound bite of ‘if I feel I can no longer get results that Arsenal demands then as a lover of the club i must move aside.’ and turning it into ‘We’ll look at things at the end of this one”. The interview was actually done back when Arsenal were struggling at the start of the season, so I give it as much… Read more »
You think you could make your point just as well without insulting great swathes of people?
Hope he leaves. Thanks for everything Arsene, but we’ll never win a dime with a defence you’ve built. Maybe if Arsenal finish 5th it will be enough for him to walk.