Last night’s report from BILD saying Arsenal had made an approach for Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel has been dismissed as ‘not true’ by the club.
The German publication suggested that Tuchel was contacted to take over from Arsene Wenger, but across a number of outlets this morning the message from Arsenal has been consistent that this is not the case.
It now seems more likely than ever that stories about the manager extending his deal for another two years are the direction that the club are going in.
And that should be no surprise to anyone. As powerful as Arsene Wenger is, he can’t offer himself a new contract, so perhaps there should be a little more focus on the two year option presented to him by Stan Kroenke and Ivan Gazidis.
The Gunners are going through their worst ever period of Premier League form under the Frenchman, with just one win from the last five games.
In all competitions they’ve won just three from the last nine, and two of those were against non-league sides.
With an international break ahead of the next game against Man City in two weeks time, there’s a lot of work to do to get things back on track, and with players scattered all over the world with their countries, it’s going to be pretty difficult.
Well the only way we’ll get rid of this dictator is by a coup.
The players have already gone on strike, now they just need to lock him out of the office.
The fans should not come to staduim
You talking about Wenger or Kroenke? I know which one I would rather leave our club
both
Wenger’s decision to stay would be just a shame. He makes millions and in return, he has no obligation to win any silverware. Why wouldn’t he want to stick to such a job like a leech. No surprise if he is no hurry to leave.
At the end of the day board is responsible for this the most. They seem to have no idea what to do with the club. Despite knowing years before that Wenger is going to retire very soon , they are only thinking about appointing a director right now at the end of the season where he should be stepping down . Its a mess , they are totally unprepared to a life after Wenger and they know it , that’s why they are offering a new deal to him. They have no choice but to extend, otherwise this club will… Read more »
Eboue
was actually watching funny eboue youtube videos as a pick me up.. arsenal has left me very depressed in general
Please tell me how a different owner is going to solve us being shit at the actual football part of it?
– fresh ideas
– some ambitions
– little care for the club ( look at Abramovich )
Chelsea owe him one billion pounds. What happens to Chelsea in the future is any ones guess, but when a club is so dependent on one person, it’s not necessarily a good thing. Wenger staying is fine, IMO, but the club needs to now think about the future. If we start to restructure and Wenger is still in charge for next season, I’d take it. If anyone is to make a decision on the future of the club, it is Wenger who is the only one I would trust with footballing decisions. Criticise him all you want on the pitch,… Read more »
– Fresh ideas? It is Wenger who decides how we play and how the coaching and tactics are setup. It was his choice to refuse having a director of football. The fresh ideas will come from Wenger leaving.
– Some ambition? We have spent a reasonable amount of money this summer to launch a title bids. The signings overall have been poor
– Little care for the club? Maybe. I don’t see this as a determining factor. It is the people who he hires who have most responsibility
Maybe an owner with a bit of spine, who cares about the results and forces the executives to actually do their jobs, rather than deferring everything to Wenger? It’s ridiculous, but it seems that the person deciding Wenger’s future is Wenger himself, and there doesn’t appear to be any oversight from a board level. Fine when things are going OK, but not ideal now…
I don’t think it’s an owner not having a spine that’s the issue, so much as an owner who couldn’t give a shit either way.
So you want an owner who will sack Wenger?
Your first comment is baloney.
The only way the Arsenal higher ups will hear anything is if the sound of the cash register stops. Maybe then they will come down from their ivory tower and have a look at this dead rotting carcass that the Arsenal organization has become. stop buying the most expensive tickets in Europe stop buying jerseys and anything else that is adorned with the Arsene logo. Oh I meant Arsenal. Whoops.
Kroenke is far from ideal as owner. But how does he have more responsibility than Wenger about how the team has been playing?? He made a reasonable amount of money available this summer and the signings just haven’t worked out.
One of the reasons we don’t have a direct of football is that Wenger didn’t want one. It’s too easy to deflect fault on Kroenke for Wenger’s mistakes.
This has become an endless cycle. Wenger wants to win something before he goes . but he won’t change in any way his team or tactics which results in the team winning virtually nothing. But le professor still wants to go on high and extends the contract.
Nothing speaks to more of a lot of our fans distance from reality as the ridiculous and to be frank offensive ‘dictator’ analogy.
Yes, have a view that you want a new manager- fine. Have a view that our manager is last of the old school, no one makes a cup of tea without him knowing about it types – fine.
But to compare Arsene Wenger to Hitler, Mugabe et al is just a joke.
I agree not a dictator. Best tactician ever. Wenger IN.
A complete disservice to AW I agree 100%. That type of rhetoric is reprehensible and completely unwarranted. He will and should be remembered as one of the greatest managers that the EPL has ever witnessed. Unfortunately his tenure is at its end. I think the final disappointment being when his players stopped playing. And for that they should be ashamed of themselves. The only player doing more than simply getting a kick around in was Sanchez. unfortunately it’s time for AW to move on but I’m sad and I for one will miss him. He always had and I think… Read more »
He has lost the players, clearly but how long before the other half of the fans and the board see sense is anybodys guess.
Arsene is an Arsenal Legend. He conflicts all of us but lets give respect were respect is due. He made the club what it is today, good and bad. I also want a change like the rest of us but the least we can do is give the man a little respect for the years of service he has given to our club. Lets not forget that he could have left us for a bigger club when things were abit rosier.
Wenger is staying, it’s clear and always has been. Ideologically-driven people like him don’t relinquish power easily.
He’s staying isn’t he? I can’t bloody believe it.
Depressing. Wenger deserves my respect for what he has achieved but this is becoming a bloody joke now.
No he doesn’t, not if he signs.
Arsene Wenger would be the most shameless man on earth if he stayed back and sign a new contract
He is in the delusion that he is best man for the job. There is absolutely no pressure on him.
I’ve read it could be just one year extention. That would indicate that they would use that period to fill up the director of football post amongst other things. One year makes sense as of now. Why those processes were not already put into place on the eventuality of him not signing or keeping in mind long term planning is another question. All in all, it seems from the outside to be a rather amateur management of the club.
one or two years doesn’t really matter, we have arguably our only 2 world class players looking as though they are leaving. The new signings haven’t really settled as we would have liked and the existing players look as though they have given up or need replacing in many cases anyway. Do we really believe that Arsene can make a difference with another year? Where would that leave us with new signings that we would clearly need if certain players leave. Players like the ox or Ramsey. are they as bad as people say or is it just under Wenger… Read more »
Wenger has stated before that he wouldn’t work under a director of football, I’d be very surprised if this was actually an extension to provide a transition year, even if it is I can’t see the benefit of having Wenger in a position to so heavily influence the transition, what director of football would have the balls to properly do there job with him still here? Everyone keeps trying to twist this to make it more reasonable from Arsene but I genuinely think this is just his pride making him unable to quit.
What makes you think he will leave after a year. He needs to be the manager, trophies preferably but if not why not another go next year after all he is the best person for Arsenal, we would have to be brainwashed to think otherwise.
One year would just leave us in exactly the same situation we are already in.
This post should reach wenger directly. Stop being a dictator man we are not happy with you in fact morning hard for you to leave the club don’t be sinical the way you were till you we’re sent out in the previous clubs
He is employed by the club – ie. Kroenke and Gazidis – so your dictator label is way off the mark
considering it is him who decides when he leaves, that ’employment’ label you give him should be used very loosely. I would love it if my employer put all the terms of my contract on my table. Never being threatened must be awesome.
I use the term ’employed’ exactly. He does not dictate whether Kroenke offers him a contract extension.
The Board are complicit in the stagnation of this club. The lack of accountability and foresight is rife from top to bottom, in the management and on the pitch.
Unreal.
This car crash is going to last two more seasons isn’t it?
I always knew he would be staying no matter the results. When the news report broke 1 or 2 months ago that he had already signed a contract and they will be announcing it during this international week. I think they thought the results would improve and so would our league position by this point. Oh but they were wrong.
‘There’s only one Arsene Wenger’……’In Arsene we trust’….. ‘we got Arsene, you aint, you aint’………….Man these drugs are good!
Wenger in Wenger out shake it all about
Thanks Rob Beckett!
What an absolute joke, he’s the most selfish bloke on the planet. If he loves the club as much as he says he does he would resign and let someone else have a go. We can’t have another 2 years of this man
He loves being a manager, Arsenal is where he is most comfortable, there is no way he’ll leave until forced out.
I fucking knew this would happen. Another 2 years of the same old shit. Who would bet against another 2 years after that ?! The club really have painted themselves into a corner on this. A multi million pound club run by unambitious cowards. Maybe a season out of the champions league could do us good. The money from the CL is no longer as important as it once was anyway. If we qualify for the Europa league then maybe that will be considered a fringe player competition. I’m not sure I can handle a season with no St Totteringham… Read more »
A season out of the champions league would NOT do us any good. It already looks like we’re going to have to replace our two best players. Try doing that out of the champions league. Cough Pogba to United… worked out well for them…
Being out of the champions league shouldn’t make any difference to our recruitment. I agree its something to offer in the “plus” column when negotiating but other clubs who haven’t been it have attracted great players. Most players now play for money, I don’t think too many of them actually care about playing in it if they have huge salaries. Keeping Ozil and Sanchez shouldn’t hinge on being out the CL for one season (I know it could be more!)
Importance of In or out of the Champions league depends on another factor in my opinion. If I’m a player potentially signing the first question I’d ask is this: Can the club leadership be counted on to make the investment and put in the people to get back up to the Champions League or to the top of the league? If that’s unclear it certainly will make a difference. When the wages get up to a certain altitude the status of the club and competitions they’re in becomes very important again to’players who give a shit. Wenger or no, I… Read more »
Haha, feel a bit for Bild, they made moves about tuchel at precisely the wrong time
TT resembles an Audi TT … perhaps it could take over from the outdated vroom vroom ? 🙂
TT doesn’t have what it takes to be manager.
Let him have his tea and biscuits in Sky studios.
The no. 1 reason managers leave their clubs is because their employer believes the club would be better out without them. The fact that people are asking Wenger to step down just shows the complete lack of faith in the board.
This is a complete mess!
In the three years since our last notable trophy, we haven’t sold a single player because they weren’t good enough. Some retired or went on loan, but no-one’s been cut or released because they don’t meet the high standards of a title-winning side.
A club that cuts players that much slack is not interested in hiring Thomas Tuchel or asking Wenger to step down. It’s crystal clear – winning another Premier League title is not this club’s priority.
Let the fans question the players and the owner… I just want my ARSENAL back and the fans united for the sake of this great team. COME RAIN,COME SUN,OR SNOW…THE ARSENAL REAMIN. COYG
The fans should question themselves first! The circus on saturday was a shame and a damage to the club maybe more than the loss! Booing Özil, singing shameful songs against him, preferring him to the first player that comes the mind (Ox and Iwobi, i’m sure many would prefer Ospina instead of Özil…)… then don’t be surprised if the players feel like under a heaven burden when they face you… Their worst enemies aren’t the opponents, but the fans themselves!
Which Arsenal? Bruce Rioch’s Arsenal?
Honest question to the people that remember that period better than I do: was it that bad during Rioch’s season in charge? I only ask, as this is the second reference to it being bad I’ve read/heard in the last few days. I know he had a falling out with Ian Wright (mental note: I still need to read Wrighty’s biography). Other than that, as someone who didn’t go to games at that stage I only remember him for getting us into Europe (we’d finished 12th the previous season – choke on that, everyone that thinks we’re doing badly now,… Read more »
12th! I think that just goes to show the level of expectation / entitlement that AW has brought to our dear supporters. That said, he has not lived up to his high standards for a long time now.
12th was not the norm. It was the exception. A complete one-off. Hadn’t happened before for years and years.
The club was without a manager so a time of real crisis. What’s Wenger’s excuse now? He’s spending £90m on players and taking the club down the toilet.
We did finish in 10th in 1992/93, to be fair, but that wasn’t really my point in any case.
I wasn’t saying it to indicate people shouldn’t be upset about what’s going on now, just that I thought Rioch had done a pretty decent job at the time from where we had been the previous season.
Rioch actually got us playing football on the ground instead route 1 from the GG days. He signed Dennis and Platt when he was actually quite good. So Rioch was OK in my opinion.
If he’s staying and it looks like he is, we have an opportunity to install an assistant who can take over in two years time. Sorry Bouldy, not you. Question being, would someone of the required calibre be happy to sit next to him for two years waiting the top job?
I do think it’s time for Arsene to go. However, if he is definately staying, particularly if it’s a one year, transitionary deal, then for the sake of the club I think we have to try and get behind him and the team. The owner and management are responsible for the torrid and dysfunctional state of affairs at our beloved club, but if he signs, I fear continued abuse and fan unrest will do more harm than good and will only play into the hands of our rivals.
Spot on.
This is the kind of attitude that will allow the club to keep doing this. If we all go quiet there will probably be another contract after this one and then another. It’s now obvious he wont leave when he’s doing badly, he also wont leave if results were to go well and go out on a high which is what we’d all love. So in what situation will he leave? Only if the fans make enough noise. I don’t buy the transitional deal, well obviously spend in the summer, why not give a new manager those funds? And what… Read more »
One thing we do know, is that like it or not, if Arsene does sign a new deal, particularly if it’s short term, he’s going to see it through. Continued protest and vitriol from the fans is unlikely to change that. But,what it will do, is further unsettle the players and undermine efforts to turn things around. What’s more, let’s see the details of any deal before jumping to conclusions. If the intention is to use the time to restructure and transition the club in order to be better placed to bring in a new manager, with a chance to… Read more »
You’re describing the exact reasons why he shouldn’t sign a new contract, short-term or not. From the very signs of protest when we collapsed last season, Arsenal fans just like you said this is not the time or place for protest. The truth is, there will never be a time when you accept that protest is justified. You don’t understand what a protest is. It’s supposed to make people like you or fans who’ve become complacent uncomfortable. It’s supposed to make the club uncomfortable. I respect your opinion and you might have had a case for asking fans to pipe… Read more »
Yep! Every negative result is going to explode into a fuck storm of hate. I genuinely think he doesn’t know what he is letting himself in for and I fear for his health.
Call me disrpectful but i have grown far too disaffected to care now. I just want him to fuck off. Change for changes sake wud at least bring something new…let alone actually replacing him with a real winner. Depressing times
He talks about arsenal playing this attractive football which is rarely true even against weaker teams. He criticizes long ball football but opts for it against better teams to win matches. I’ll give you an english core for the world cup, I’ll win the tittle in next 3 years… he makes so many promises which he never keeps. He was given the time and money to build a good team but he failed. The love and respect i used to have for Wenger has turned to hate. I just can’t understand why isn’t every fan in london out protesting. We… Read more »
How can i have 6 thumbs down there can’t be an arsenal fan in the world that backs wenger and if there is i would like to hear a case for it
The arsenal board doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the fans and the fans are responsible for it.
Why wouldn’t Wenger sign new contracts if they keep offering him. It’s not like he really loves the club or is not in the delusion that he is the right man for the job.
Even if the players weren’t away for internationals, could we trust them to put in the required level of work to beat City? They had a plan against West Brom and it was torn up when the game started. The next few games are worrying. As for Wenger, i think the closer it gets to the end of the season without him announcing if he is staying or going, I think he will stay. There is too much to do in the off season for him to go in May (new manager, coaching staff,players coming and going, youth promotions….. etc).… Read more »
I’m depressed to read stories he’ll stay on – I’ve given up caring for his Arsenal but I’ve a well of love for the club that would come surging back with the arrival of a new boss/ new ways. I’m a season ticket holder and to renew this summer knowing that just more of the same is the return for my money makes the decision to renew a tough one. Would I get it back with the arrival of a new manager? Probably not, so the club have me and others over a barrel. I’ve no doubt if we had… Read more »
At the very least next season we will be in Europa. Wenger surely can’t be humiliated by teams likes Gent? Or can he?
I don’t know of any other football club in the world where the opinion of the fans is totally ignored and not reckoned with in matters of importance, especially as it concerns the manager. If we are to be honest, it is crystal clear that a good majority of Arsenal fans wants Wenger out the club, because they know that Arsenal can make no further progress under Wenger. They also know that the board cannot sack Wenger because he is holding them under bondage. If Wenger truly loves Arsenal as he professes he should respect himself and anyone else and… Read more »
I’m not sure I want him to leave with the club in this state. Our youth players coming through are average at best, we are about to lose our two best players and probably a few more and lord know the board won’t be supplying the transfer funds necessary to revamp the squad in today’s market. If there is a man I trust to take two years develop some youth players, sign a few new faces for cheap, and maybe sneak a wc player into the team it’s wenger
It is a least possible that Wenger, who knows what goes on at AFC away from public eyes, looks at the ineffectual board and disinterested ownership and continues to stay on for fear of what will happen in his absence. As someone well away of Kroenke’s career in American sports, I won’t be surprised if a future autobiography from Arsene makes us reconsider what we think has been going on at AFC of late.
This theory makes sense but if that’s the case the responsibility still falls back on Wenger. He was part of Gazidis’ hiring process, he could have hired a director of football sometime in the last decade and he could have chosen a more experienced and influential assistant manager after Pat Rice retired.
I think we all knew this season was going to be a tough one in terms of keeping the top 4 place. I looked at the managerial appointments last summer and feared the worst. Guardiola, Conte and Mourinho plus the well established Pochettino and Klopp with his first full season at Liverpool. They are all winners (apart from Pochettino but you sense he will win something soon) all dynamic and all quite tactically astute. Arsene just doesn’t seem to know how to kick his players up the arse or how to change things up anymore. He reverts to the same… Read more »
No club can tolerate empty seats for long, regardless of results even.
My main comment though is that I am surprised if Wenger doesn’t realise that by staying he runs the risk of damaging the club, not improving it
The new AVB or maybe Roberto Martinez.
I’m going to hold out for sampaoli- he plays the right style of football for the premier League.
There are a load of suitable managers out there, but most are tied down to longer term contracts to our rivals.