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After another trophyless season at the Emirates, Arsenal fans attention now turns to Robin van Persie’s lingering contract negotiations.
Arsène Wenger has been trusted to oversee their development but for the 8th summer in a row Arsenal face the possibility of losing one of their best players.
The Frenchman has had a major influence on the club but has his pride stunted their progression in recent years?
Arsenal haven’t won a trophy since 2005. The Invincibles are a thing of the past and the likes of Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira have been followed out the door by Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Kolo Touré and many others.
There was a time when fans trusted Wenger. He earned their faith by winning trophies with attractive football. He would reject multimillion pound offers for stars like Henry and Vieira then surprisingly sell them for what seemed like a bargain soon after.
His decisions were normally justified because his ex-players failed to rekindle the sort of form they enjoyed under his management. Wenger always knew the perfect time to move a player on. He could tell when they’d peaked so he got the best deal possible before their value plummeted.
The problems started when he failed to replace them with established stars and now his excuses about transition are wearing pretty thin.
Every year Wenger insists that this season his youngsters will finally come of age. In fairness often he’s right but the problem is they never do it together. One or two usually progress but the team still struggles and the better players do enough to earn a move elsewhere.
It’s testament to Wenger’s ability to spot potential in young players but why is it he struggles to keep hold of them once they’ve established themselves?
Perhaps Wenger has focused so much on youth that it has affected his senior squad. Players like Jack Wilshere are expected to be ‘the new Fabregas’ but he’s thrown in at the deep end and never given a chance to learn from his predecessor.
It’s admirable that Wenger has so much faith in youth but surely he can see they need guidance?
His Carling Cup youth teams used to thrill fans and embarrass established teams but the pressure of winning trophies has become a burden that’s too much to bear without some older heads to keep them grounded.
To make matters worse, every time they fail to win silverware the fans become more disillusioned and the better players choose to pursue their ambitions elsewhere. It’s become a vicious cycle.
Wenger has worked wonders at Arsenal, shaping their structure from the boardroom down to grass roots level. The one thing he hasn’t perfected is how to transition an ageing squad into the next generation of talent.
If Wenger had kept hold of his senior stars and allowed them to work in tandem with the youngsters then perhaps he would have found a better blend of experience and youthful exuberance.
It would appear he’s been too quick to write off senior players in favour of potential stars who don’t have the experience to step in seamlessly.
Keeping van Persie would be a major statement on Arsenal’s ambitions for the future. New signing Lukas Podolski needs to play with the Dutchman, not replace him. If they continue to sell their best players they will find it very difficult to compete with the top sides and will have no one to lead the next crop of aspiring rookies.
Wenger has always been defiant with his principles and many fans admire the way he’s stuck to his guns but after so many trophyless seasons perhaps it’s time he became more adaptable. He should be proud of what he has achieved at Arsenal but his inflexible style has left them with a lot of potential and very little to show for it.
This summer could have a major say in Arsenal’s future. Invest in some experienced professionals to compliment their youth and they could be challenging for the title.
Continue to tread water like they have been then they may fall so far behind the top sides that they never recover.
Written By Alex Churcher
