Arsene Wenger has confirmed for the first time that he did not control the timing of the announcement that he’ll leave Arsenal this summer.
The club took the football world by surprise when it released a statement last Friday confirming that our manager of 22-years had made the decision to step down at the end of the season.
While the timing has been greeted positively – it galvanises the player-fan relationship and offers a chance for everyone to say their goodbyes – it has also led to speculation that the Frenchman jumped before being pushed in the summer.
It looks increasingly like that may have been the case, especially when you consider how passionately he’s spoken in the past about seeing out his contracts.
Facing the press ahead of Arsenal’s first-leg Europa League semi-final match with Atletico Madrid, Wenger was asked explicitly why had he chosen to quit now given his contract runs until the end of next season.
He replied: “The timing was not really my decision. For the rest, I’ve spoken about it already.”
Wenger also touched on how he’s coping with the impending change to his employment status. He made clear that he’s not yet finding the situation surreal, he’s just focused on ensuring Arsenal win their upcoming games.
“At the moment, no [it’s not surreal],” he said. “I keep my routine. I focus on what I have to do every day and prepare well the game. It will be surreal for me when I don’t work. At the moment I work, as ever.
“You’re never sure you do the right thing, but life is interesting as well because you have to deal with different kinds of situations.
“Until now, I’ve had a life full of different experiences and some very difficult to deal with. But I always did it, and this is another one I will certainly face one day.”
Asked if it’s strange for him to hear talk of potential replacements, he went on: “No, it’s not strange, people want to hear what the future is about. For me, that’s completely normal.”
What’s the harm in Wenger and the club just telling us the truth?
They have. What don’t you understand?
Probably because the truth is that Wenger is a stubborn old man and was going to stay and see out his contract and stop the club from progressing for another year. This way he has no choice but to accept it..who’d of thought it… employers telling the employee what’s what! ?
That stubborn old man has forgotten more about this club than most people will ever know. Now we know he’s off I can’t believe these comments are still being made. Hope you’re not going to be at Burnley- looking forward to my voice being hoarse from chanting his name for 90 minutes.
Here here! The worst thing about being a Arsenal fan right now is the fans.
Surely you mean “fans who hold a different opinion”?
If that’s what you meant, say that. In the last few years some of you have become way too comfortable making nasty generalisations about our fans in defence of Wenger. You and the ones who are abusive and disrespectful are two sides of the same coin. Everyone’s sick and tired of it.
We all need to take a page out of Wenger’s book and learn to show some class, even when people disagree with us.
Nothing wrong with having a different opinion. Disrespectfully expressing that opinion and bashing the man who has done more, achieved more, and cares more for Arsenal than any other in its history is the shameful part.
If someone is expressing that opinion disrespectfully by all means respond but limit it to that person. No need to lump the majority in.
I’m happy to stand alongside you and call that person out but somehow it’s become acceptable to act like those Utd and Spurs fans who say “Arsenal fans are the worst” and I don’t think the majority of Arsenal fans who acknowledge Wenger’s greatness and have been patient through the ups and downs have done anything to deserve being disrespected by their own fans.
Its not really about their opinions but the way they are expressed and the way he has been treated. No need for people to label him a ‘stubborn old man’ and the like. Us as Arsenal seemed a bit above all that for a long time. We had a unity and respect for our manager that other clubs would only dream of.
Not “people”, one individual did that.
And you responded by smearing our fans in general. That’s way out of line. We at Arsenal also used to be above attacking our own fans for the actions of a minority.
In the words of David Rocastle “remember who you are, where you come from and what you represent”.
Finally a proper arsenal man talking sense.well said mc1892
Show the man the respect he deserves, yes it was time to move forward, remember his the one that has given everything to arsenal, short memories do not make for good fans
“Truth and Football” not words you tend to see in the same sentence.
The bipolar supporters of AFC. I remember everyone wanting Wenger’s head after every loss and then as soon as the next win comes, AKB again. The over reaction is not really surprising, it’s the extremist nature of people these days.
It just sounds extreme when a lot of people are angry for a few minutes. Then the world goes on in their lives, but we see an amalgam of rage anyhow. Popular power is something, aint it…
politics. football politics. The common element of humanity is what drags down both.
Arsene is not a stupid man, he would’ve known that things could’ve potentially panned out like the way they have, given the circumstances. Especially with all the movements in the background going on; Gazidis setting up an office at London Colney; Jaaaaaaaaaash Kroenke ‘Yeeeehaaaw’ taking time out from the ranch to poke around the place and report back to his old man; the appointments of Mislintat and Raul Sanllehi..the writing was on the wall for him. And as we all know, our league form has been absolutely dire for the last 5 years or more. Just over the last 2… Read more »
Sometimes there is a comment that cuts through all the bs to the truth. This is that comment.
If it had been up to Wenger, he would carried on, not just for the next season but probably the next ten.
It was obvious that the Board – and specifically the Kronke’s called time on him.
And I strongly suspect the one third empty stadium rather than the results per se, were the tipping point in all this.
Wenger took his position for granted. And he shouldn’t have. And neither should it have gone as far as it did.
But that’s all irrelevant now. And going over and over the same points does no one any good.
I pity the next manager. He just has to deliver, no excuses.
Well. If we want to be one of the best teams in the world, he needs to deliver. Which is why I’m against us hiring managers with no successful experience. What’s the point? If the club wanted us to stay where we are, they would’ve just kept Wenger.
I hope we go on to sign a real big footballing name. Someone to really state our intent.
$50 million to spend on transfers next season sends a very clear message Arsenal fans need to listen. That will get us central defender of very good but not proven world class quality. This player will possibly become world class, almost certainly be an excellent squad player, or possibly disappoint. Arsenal is relegated to 2nd tier in a business model which refuses to impose financial fair play. Without an Oligarch or such $$ stream. This has not and will not change unless ownership is changed. We operate in the same world as Athletico, Spurs, Liverpool, Milan, Dortmond etc. We will… Read more »
I think there should be an oligarch league for plastic teams and their plastic fans (manure come to mind) and a class league for teams that want to abide by ffp and make football interestingly less predictable!!!
Some of the best managers had no successful experience until they became successful. Personally I’d rather the chance go to a manager with potential with a squad with potential, someone like Julien. For one, it affords him significant patience and allows me, as a fan to enjoy the journey. Contrary to popular belief, not all of us wanted Wenger out just because we weren’t winning the league. The league changes were symptomatic of what a lot of us became tired of; the same tactical errors, the same style of play, the same defensive mistakes, etc. Personally I’d just like a… Read more »
specially as he only has 50 mil to spend, unless we sell ozil
It’s sad it’s come down to this.
It’s absolutely right for him to stop managing the team. However instead of the 2 yr extension, the Board should have given him a seat upstairs.
I think that’s where the Board hadn’t prepared sufficiently last season. I hope they are now, in terms of identifying the new manager.
I get the idea of Wenger having a role at the club but for me it would have to be purely as an ambassador. If we had him running anything important we’d never get put of this mess we are in.
What mess?
I wouldn’t worry. He holds his pride as a professional above all. Being forced out in this manner means that he’s likely to call it on his Arsenal involvement entirely.
We can’t assume the board wouldn’t have wanted that.
What we can assume, or at least know, is that Wenger has made it clear HE didn’t want that. He wants to be involved with day-to-day coaching, and it was becoming clear he would carry on for however many years before relenting.
What does “SB” stand for? Stupid B*****d? Wenger in the boardroom would be a complete disaster. He would try to interfere with the new manager and try to run the team from the boardroom. This is non-starter, anyway, because the relationship between Wenger and Gazidis is so toxic now that they could never work together. Everybody at board level now just wants to see the back of this sad, selfish, narcissistic, bitter, twisted old has-been. I did ask the question yesterday about the timing of all this – now we have the answer. The pretence that this was a “resignation”… Read more »
Just like we do with all that BS you said
In stating that the timing of his departure at the end of this season wasn’t really his decision, Arsene is not telling us anything new, or something that we didn’t already know…that is, if we had bothered to read between the lines. If Arsene had his way, he would have, at the very least, seen out the last year of his contract, which was always his intention. It seems, however, that the Arsenal board have persuaded him that – for whatever reason – it is in the best interests of both parties if he vacates his role before the end… Read more »
I’m over the moon that Wenger is going but I’m also glad that he’s trying to force that horrible slimy cunt Gazidis have to face the music. That is, next time the spineless waste of oxygen actually has the guts to talk in public.
Let’s see what Gazidis and this board are capable of before we start criticising them, Ok?
Everyone uses the Rams as an example of how shit Stan Kroenke is at running sports teams. Take a look at them now, ever since they sacked their long standing manager.
I didn’t say anything about what they’re capable of. I’m talking about the fact that they’ve (correctly) sacked him but haven’t got the ball bag to front up and say it. Gazidis just sat there talking shit and dropping in the odd “you’ll have to ask Arsene that”. The guy is a cretin.
Err, Wenger inferred it best as he could; they WERE going to sack him, but he jumped first. So no, they didn’t “sack” him, and thus have no reason to come out and say anything.
What’s happened is pretty much exactly what we know.
Hate to disagree with you here, but the Rams have managed one good NFL season in approximately the last two decades and got bounced in the first playoff round at home (after Stan moved the team 1500 miles). Plus his other teams in the NBA and NHL are garbage.
So you’re happy that the man who finally pushed for Wenger to leave, the man everyone has been going in for being spineless and unable to move wenger, is “facing the music” because he had the audacity to do exactly what you and many fans have wanted him to do?
its up to arsenal when to of announce it, NOT HIM, and its a FACT that he walked before he was pushed, NOT speculation
Literally no one in this thread wants to talk about the match. Where is the passion?? When will we ever unite?? If we don’t do it for the EL then we will never unite.
PS: Just look at Liverpool and their fans. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
Sadly, there is no WE
Yeah look at the Liverpool fans, what a bunch of wankers
I sometimes wonder if some of the people commenting on here actually support Arsenal . I feel that their negativity is almost a type of disease and no matter who is managing this football club they will come onto this forum and vent their frustrated views regardless.
This comment made my day already! Not just because it was unintentionally facetious but also because it’s quite simply the truth….of life itself. 😉
Tje fact that this thread is this long is a trstament to some/most Arsenal fans just needing something to whine about…Arsene has left…move on…no need to sharpen spears thinking about who can be blamed next…I think the cpmmentor above is spot on….the worst thing about Arsenal now is its “fans”