adminLONDON. – Arsenal fans wanted him gone. Marches took place before and after games, banners were flown from aeroplanes during them – and on the pitch below them Arsene Wenger sat and witnessed his side crumble to the worst soccer season of his 20-year reign.
“No new contract” was the message from many of those angry Arsenal fan banners, but few were surprised when eventually it finally came, four days after the FA Cup final win over Chelsea.
Football is a game of fine margins, and had Aaron Ramsey’s header not caught Chelsea napping immediately after their equaliser at Wembley, Wenger may well have been taking charge of his final match for Arsenal.
And yet here is still, showing that even at the ripe old age of 67 an old dog can learn some new tricks, with Arsenal – *so far* – enjoying a hugely successful transfer window that few would have thought possible as things imploded on the pitch between February and April.
There is, it must be stressed, still time for Arsenal to mess things up in that way that only they seem to know how, but for the moment there’s some argument that they’re winning the transfer window hands-down with a new-found ruthless approach to both signings coming in, and approaches for their own stars.
Alexandre Lacazette has been signed, sealed and delivered for a club-record fee nice and early, and has even scored on his debut in a pre-season win over Sydney, and he follows the astute free transfer of versatile defender Sead Kolasinac, who had been tracked by big names such as Chelsea, Manchester City and AC Milan.
And where once Arsenal would have crumbled, they have remained strong despite the prospect of a vast number of their most important players being linked with exits. Far from a repeat of the summer of 2011, the Gunners are currently building an immensely strong side for next season at the very least.
Alexis Sanchez’s contract situation remains a worry, but there is no sign so far that Wenger will buckle and allow him his preferred move to Manchester City. While the Chilean could command a fee of as much as £50million – not a fee to be sniffed at for a player in the final year of his contract – Wenger’s preference seems to be to avoid letting him join a Premier League rival at all costs, even if that means losing him on a free next year. – Metro.
Online Reporter
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