Summer of discontent

Arsène Wenger, June 2011: “If you sell both Cesc and Nasri, you cannot convince people that you are ambitious after that.”

Wise words indeed, Arsène, but ones that he will now be made to regret as he disconsolately announced that a deal to take Cesc to Barcelona and finally put an end to this most elongated of sagas was “close” and that Samir Nasri’s situation was on the verge of being sorted “one way or another”. In other words, reports of his imminent departure to Manchester City are true.

So, just what next? What next in this absolute circus of trauma that being an Arsenal supporter involves? Our patience and our support to this current regime have been tested long enough. Time and time again, they had been tested in an almost calculated, shameless fashion. And time and time again we have gone back for more, full of hope and optimism and faith that Wenger et al “know”.

Tonight, I can admit that, for the very first time in years, probably a decade, we enter a new Premier League season with me fully adamant that we have absolutely no chance of capturing that title or even getting close. Or doing anything in terms of contention for Europe. At all. I mean I’ve always been game for leading a fighting case for our chances (and paid a heavy personal price!). But not this time. No way.

And I don’t even feel the risk of an ounce of possibility of having to come back and eat my words come May.

Not only has our preseason form been as poor as the business end of last season and our defending as shoddily amateur as ever. But just look at what is happening at the Club for goodness’ sake.

Player mutiny at the highest level, culminating in the imminent departures of our best two creative players 48 hours before the big kick-off; a criminal lack of visible, communicable effort into remedying deep-rooted problems; and tens of millions in cash spent on what are essentially luxury commodities at this stage. Gervinho for £11 million? Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 17-year-old League One kid, for £12 million? You’re having a laugh, ain’t ya?

This is no knee-jerk reaction. After all, Wenger’s very own words at the top of the page cannot be disputed nor refuted. He has called it himself weeks back. Now, we are about to sell our best two creative stars, you know, Wenger’s years’ worth “project” of development and loyalty all gone in the matter of days, with no sign of viable, top class replacements. You called it yourself Mr. Wenger, and you are right: we cannot be convinced of any ambition, not after having left it that late in the day.

Not eleventh hour stuff, admittedly, but enough to cause more outrage than we can afford at this stage, with a clear danger of a slow start in the league and, dare I say, an exit before the Champions League proper! And, knowing the man who is somehow still in supreme, untouchable control of the team, I am not optimistic of a replacement to fill the huge gaps set to be left by Fàbregas and Nasri’s departures either. True, there is Jack Wilshere and true, there is Aaron Ramsey, but to even suggest that they have the experience and maturity to act as the team’s creative hub at this stage is foolish in the extreme.

There is a lot of talk flying around of an imminent signing in defence. Fine, but that will not suffice in offsetting the huge disappointment generated from the two aforementioned sales to rival clubs, both, in England and European football. Not just from the sales, but the manner and timing at which they have been conducted.

Plus of course the clear implication that we could not, or did not want to sign any defensive reinforcements before generating cash from player sales, emphasising our status as a true selling club, a tag many of us had chosen to brush off over the last few years.

This was meant to be the summer of change, and the summer when Arsène Wenger and his out-of-touch bosses proved to the world that they were not perhaps that out-of-touch. Instead, look at what we are getting. Things are getting worse before they get any better and I see a very, very slippery slope indeed.

I have stated this before and I will say it again: this summer had us on a knife-edge of success and domination, or for further slippage.
And as we prepare for the season take-off at Newcastle’s St. James’ Park, not exactly our favourite venue and a potent reminder of that manager and his ailing squad’s comic ills, I have no choice but to predict a meek 5th place finish and a drop out of that Champions League haven that has had Wenger and co clinging on to their failing reputations for so long. No choice, and no justification to predict any better given the actions of the teams around us, one or two of whom have targeted as that mini-league’s whipping boys, and, crucially, the goings-on inside the Club, which no one will ever fully find out thanks to the lack of transparency and honesty festering at Arsenal at all levels.

Oh well, it’s okay I guess, I mean at least we’ve still got Manuel Almunia…