Wenger insists he’ll retire in his own time
WHEN Arsene Wenger leaves Arsenal, it will be at a time of his choosing. Much like Sir Alex Ferguson, the day will come suddenly and unexpectedly.
‘I will retire, don’t worry,’ said Wenger, having celebrated 19 years at the club last week in familiar fashion, defending his team after a calamitous defensive display.
He said it with a wan smile, after a feisty encounter with the Press in which he had threatened to walk out; the subtext was that we might be pleased to see the back of him.
He might feel that, but it is not true and certainly not among the majority of Arsenal fans, even if a section would like a proper and prompt succession plan in place.
With absentee American owner Stan Kroenke and his 35-year-old son Josh aided by a board whose youngest member, Ivan Gazidis apart, is 73, there is little sign or prospect of that. But today’s opponent, Louis van Gaal, is 64 and talks heading to paradise — or the Algarve, at least — at the end of next season. Wenger is 66 this month with 20 months to run on his contract and showing no signs of contemplating the quieter life.
‘I haven’t decided yet,’ he said, when asked about his plans. ‘It can be more instinctive and impulsive than that. I’ve heard it so many times: “Next year, I will retire”. And then they continue or go somewhere else. When I retire, I will really retire.’
Arsenal will miss him, just as United have struggled to adjust to life without Ferguson.
However, despite the three Premier League titles and six FA Cups in 19 years, it now seems discussion of the later Wenger years will be dominated by his supposed reticence to spend money and inability of his teams to defend well.
Against Manchester United today, both themes are recurrent. His defence is still reeling from Tuesday night’s display against Olympiakos in another Champions League debacle and will be without Laurent Koscielny, though Petr Cech will be back in goal.
Pitted against him will be Anthony Martial, the kind of young French player that almost made north London a French colony in Wenger’s earlier days. Today, the £58million man plays at No 9 for United, signed in a summer in which Wenger insisted he could not recruit a suitable centre-forward and in which he insists Monaco told him Martial was not for sale.
The purchases of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez for a combined £77m in the previous two summer windows doused the flames of protest over Arsenal’s transfer market inactivity. But the fact that only Cech was recruited in the summer and was then dropped in midweek has sparked anger.
Martial, Morgan Schneiderlin, Juan Mata and Chris Smalling being on the pitch for United today will reignite the debate.
Arsenal were in prime position to sign Schneiderlin in the summer but Wenger decided he couldn’t justify spending £25m on a player who wouldn’t make the first team.
Mata is an older example, but in 2011 when he was still a Valencia player, Arsenal had the transfer agreed. The player was literally waiting for a call for the move to be confirmed, when Wenger pulled out at the last minute. Chelsea then intervened.
Smalling though was an unlucky miss. Scouted by Arsenal in 2009, before United were interested, Arsenal had him lined up, but were gazumped in January 2010 when Ferguson persuaded the defender to switch to United.
Martial is a curious case given that he played at Lyon under Remi Garde, Wenger’s first-ever signing at Arsenal. And Garde is friends with another of Wenger’s former signings, his current French scout, Giles Grimandi.
Arsenal’s chief negotiator Dick Law has become more adept in the transfer market, but still has to defer to Wenger.
Then there is the issue of the lack of a relationship between Wenger and Jorge Mendes, agent to the stars and powerbroker in football’s biggest deals.
One of the reasons why Arsenal seem off the pace in the transfer market these days is their unwillingness to deal with Mendes, agent to Jose Mourinho, Cristiano Ronaldo and many others.
A large chunk of the market in the top-class players Wenger needs is controlled by the Portuguese agent.
‘I nearly signed one of his players,’ said Wenger. ‘It was Ronaldo. Since then, never. He (Mendes) goes to special clubs. I do what is right for my club.’