It is being reported that AS Monaco are ready to offer Arsene Wenger a lucrative 3 year deal worth £28 Million to take him back to France, this deal would see him increase his annual salary from £8 Million to just over £9.3 Million a year. This is a bit of a surprise considering how things were left between the two when he was sacked back in 1994 due to a bad start, he was dismissed early in that campaign while Monaco were 17th in Ligue 1. It is possible this could start a bidding war for the Arsenal Manager between the two top french sides, PSG have been long term admirers of Wenger and with the Arsenal boss acting as adviser to Owner Nasser Al-Kalaifi this could get interesting.
It has been a very poor start for Arsenal this campaign although there has been only one defeat thus far there have been only two wins which has seen them slump to 7th place and fall a massive 11 points behind League leaders Chelsea. Better things were expected when Arsenal ended their trophy drought when the FA Cup was lifted back in May but nothing has really changed. The same poor performances accompanied by a lack of investment in key areas has highlighted the clear flaws in Wenger’s management strategy.
Wenger already looks like he is feeling the pressure, there was that infamous Mourinho shove which was very uncharacteristic then after the Hull City game he snapped back at a BBC reporter when he was questioned on the repercussions of yet another draw. He seems to be unable to admit when he is wrong, instead would be happy to just keep plodding along with the same old tired excuses and tactics. Wenger is the kind of man that believes in numbers, but only numbers that support his opinions or agenda. The squad is the most unbalanced it has ever been in respect of positional options, being full of attack minded midfielders doesn’t help when you are shipping goals left, right and centre. Hull City scored 2 goals from 2 shots on target at the weekend, both goals were incredibly poorly defended, much like the 2 goals shipped at Stamford Bridge. Possession is 9/10th’s of the game but it seems he once again has overlooked the importance of having a strong defensive foundation. The main reason why Mourinho has been so successful as a manager is down to just two things. 1, He meticulously prepares for the opposition, the system might be similar but the tactics are tinkered with and he has a plan B unlike Wenger who seems to think if he tries the same thing for the 1001st time it must work eventually. 2, Chelsea’s success under the “special one” has been down to a strong defensive foundation and from there they build. You don’t see Chelsea concede many, they have a good balance similar to what Arsenal had in the invincible squad something that under Wenger will not be seen again.
Many Arsenal fans will be hoping that Wenger breaks his own rule and walks from his contract, something he has been proud of is his “loyalty” to his contracts, he has never broken one. Pressure from fans could be a telling catalyst though, he has already claimed if he had not won the FA Cup he would have left the club.