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Wednesday 21 August 2013

Times of Desperation & Crisis at Arsenal

Top players want trophies and high wages, two things Arsenal cannot offer

Crisis? Is that we can call it? After a 3-1 opening day defeat at home to Aston Villa the knives were out for Arsene Wenger & his sidekick Ivan Gazidis. The majority of the fans had seen enough and either vented their frustrations vocally or with their feet. You can look at it and say it's only one game and there's 37 more to go. You would also imagine that the club will qualify once again for the Champions League and by September all will be 'happy' again. Yet there are some who are starting to seriously doubt and worry about Arsenal's season ahead. The truth is Arsenal are most certainly in crisis, patience has worn thin and the fans have had enough.


This kind of reaction and talk of crisis was inevitable. For several seasons the same summer story has been seen. The loss of top players and the arrivals of mediocre replacements meant that Arsenal and Wenger were always going to struggle at some point. Commendable as it has been that they have ‘scraped’ into the top four each season, this record has simply papered over the cracks and issues which are evident at Arsenal. 

This blog has been critical of Wenger as a coach and his philosophy these past few years because it is evident that the club has gotten progressively worse season after season. A miraculous late surge and capitulation by Spurs (again) gifted the Champions League spot to Arsenal and provided Wenger with breathing space once more. Yet the wolves are back at the door and this time seem intent on breaking it down.

A different summer - now there's money

After qualifying for the Champions League on the last day of the season the summer looked positive for Arsenal. A chance to plan for the coming summer and season with apparent stability and investment. Whereas Man City, Chelsea and United were embarking on new managerial reigns, Arsenal would have the advantage of continuity. 

Ivan Gazidis, Arsenal’s chief executive promised the fans that Arsenal could now afford players like Wayne Rooney. Incredible. This meant Arsenal could compete with the top sides once again. Years of being paupers to the rich was finally over. Were we going to see Arsenal challenge once again?

You see this summer was supposed to be different to the past few years. Firstly Arsenal would not be losing any of their ‘star’ names which would provide some respite after previous summers of losing their top players. As well as this the key aspect of this summer transfer window was the fact that Arsenal would now have money to spend, £70m by all accounts. 

The debt for the stadium was almost paid off and new sponsorship deals were renewed totalling around £150m. Wenger now had a surplus of cash which we have been told had been non-existent these past several years. The fans had accepted high ticket prices because they wanted to invest in the future of the club and this summer looked to be a positive step forward, however they have got nothing but excuses and disappointment.

As we come to the end of August and the closing of the transfer window Arsenal have brought in just one player, a young 20 year forward called Yaya Sangago on a free transfer. Quite simply the fans have been taken for a ride by both Gazidis and Wenger, the question is why?

Wenger - The Dictator

It is impossible to know the true dynamics of the Arsenal board and management; for instance, who makes the final decisions on transfers and targets. Some fans blame the board and owner Stan Kroenke, others Gazidis, personally I believe the man who is answerable is Arsene Wenger. 

Without question Wenger wields significant influence at Arsenal, deservedly so based on his reign and success at the club. Yet it is hard not to view his ‘reign’ at the club now as some sort of 'dictator' who simply refuses to relinquish his power and control of the club he has ‘built’. And as with most dictators they lose a sense of reality, their perception becomes warped and confused and this is what we are seeing with Arsenal and Wenger. 

This blog has criticised Wenger’s tactics and uncanny ability to limit the careers of the players he brings in, something of the Midas touch. The reasons appear simple for me; a lack of tactical nous and failure to understand the needs of the modern game allied with the lack of experience and character of which Wenger relied on in his initial success at the club. 

As well as this it is clear that Wenger's beliefs and philosophy in terms of the type of player he seeks to have in his side in the present game has hampered Arsenal. Quite simply he has switched his approach from physically dominant French African players to small technicians. The differences between his two approaches in terms of trophies says it all.

The evidence is there when you look at their record and difficulties against the better sides. Okay, let’s allow for the lack of money to be an excuse for this barren run. It makes the competitiveness harder indeed. Yet this excuse no longer can be used as the fans have been told the money is available to Wenger. So why has none of it being spent?

Arsenal’s ‘crisis’ comes back to Wenger’s concept of reality. He appears reluctant to spend money, somehow believing that spending money makes him and Arsenal as bad as those ‘financial dopers’ Chelsea and Man City. Yet the truth is that in order for Arsenal to excel and compete once again, money is needed to be spent. 

Look across Europe and the history of football and it is the sides who spend money who achieve success. It is simple, to be the best you often need to buy the best and this requires significant investment. Yes you can develop your own talent (a model which Wenger sought to achieve) yet this model has been found to be flawed because these players end up moving to other clubs. 

The model which Wenger put in place was in fact a developing school for the elite of world football to come in when they were ripe. This is not being competitive, this is simply being at the mercy of the elite. 

Dortmund are a good example of what Arsenal were trying to achieve yet they will become victims (as they already have been to the vultures of the rich clubs) to the inevitable loss of their top talent to the sides who can pay the big fees and importantly pay the big wages. And this is where Wenger’s philosophy has failed the most.

A wage structure promoting mediocrity

When we talk of the ‘warped reality’ which Wenger has then it is reflected mostly in in terms of the wages he offers. Now Arsenal have the same wage budget as Bayern Munich of around £95m per annum (perhaps this is lessened with the exodus of Arshavin and Gervinho), which is roughly £50m more than Spurs wage bill. 

However the issue for Arsenal and the worry for the fans is that Arsenal have a ‘socialist’ structure which means that many of their average players, such as Diaby, Djorou and Squillaci ere earning roughly £50k a week and their big earners these past few years such as Fabregas and RVP were getting £90k. 

This structure simply does not allow for competitiveness and success because the elite players are not being given the wage which their talent warrants, relative to the modern game. Nasri moved to Man City and earned £200k, Van Persie moved to United and earned £190k. Arsenal could not compete, not because they didn’t have the budget but because their structure would not allow it. 

Simply it was a model which made medicore players rich and top players poorer. No wonder the top players wanted to move and the average ones (Bendtner) refuse to sacrifice their handsome wages. It is such a flawed concept that Wenger borders on the delusional in this respect.

Now the money is there the question must be why does Wenger refuse to spend it? Personally I feel he is worried about making an error in terms of a ‘marquee’ signing after seeing players like Reyes and Arshavin come for big money only to flop (an issue which Wenger should take blame for). 

He cannot attract the big names anyway because of the wages offered, a structure which needs a radical overhaul if Arsenal are to ever attract top players anymore. 

Perhaps the most worrying aspect of all this is that Arsenal, under Wenger are not seen as an appealing club to go to. Whereas once they were regarded as a modern example of football in terms of style and class, they now look weak, naïve and clueless. Wenger has assembled a group of players which lack the credentials to be winners and this summer, when the need to add quality was a necessity, he has failed the fans and club once again.

Arsenal needed to add genuine quality to the side this summer. Talk of players like Rooney, Jovetic, Gustavo, Higuain and of course Suarez pointed towards a positive future, yet they never came. Whether it was ‘propaganda’ to appease the fans and help ticket sales, or whether they simply could not afford them and their wage demands points towards the clubs and Wenger's philosophical issues. 

Instead we now see players like Ashley Williams, Micah Richards, Michu and Cabaye subject to interest from Arsenal. What does this tell the fans? It screams of desperation once more. Failure to land their targets is worrying, yet having to scramble about towards the end of the window once more highlights a serious issue with the way Wenger and Gazidis handle transfers. 

It was essential that Arsenal added players for this season, the fact they have let players leave and not brought in anyone else actually makes the squad weaker and vulnerable. Therefore you do have to wonder where this club is going. 

A Need for Dein

There are many who are starting to see a correlation between the successful years and the non-successful years. The one constant has been Wenger and the one difference has been David Dein. Therefore it is quite simple to look at the facts and see how important Dein was to Wenger’s success. 

Dein brought in Bergkamp, he sought out Wenger, he finalised the deals for Vieira and Henry among others. He was key in the teams success and rise to the top of English football. Yet he stepped down because he did not like the direction the club was going. Dein wanted new investment for the club to push forward and compete with the top sides around Europe. He played an active part in the offers from both Stan Kroenke and the Russian Usmanov, with the board opting for the American. Dein expected to see him brought back to the club yet this has not happened.

Since Dein left it is clear that Arsenal have struggled to attract big names and success has suffered. Why would Wenger and the other board members want Kroenke at the helm? Well it may be that he was worried about his own job and power over the club. Under Kroenke he has certainly been given time and control which you have to believe someone like Usmanov would not have provided. Therefore has Wenger sacrificed the success of the club and fans for his own £6.5m annual wage?   

Many at Arsenal are now seeing the lack of interest and investment from Kroenke and believe that he was a mistake. With Usmanov vocally stating his desire to invest in the playing staff and wanting to bring Dein back, surely this is what Arsenal need?

The truth is that for top players Arsenal, under Wenger are not appealing. Top players want trophies and high wages, two things Arsenal cannot offer and you cannot see the club progressing until Wenger and Gazidis depart the club. 

It may have to end badly and tragically for the club to prosper. Dictators never know when it’s the end, it often takes a revolution and uprising to oust them, I can see this coming at Arsenal in the coming months. The club is built for a long term successful and sustainable future, yet under Wenger and Gazidis the club is in crisis. It’s time for a change.

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address

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