Wenger has been getting a lot of stick for years now about our transfer dealings and his apparent refusal to spend big, or spend enough on the right areas of the squad. We know he takes a keen interest in the clubs finances and making sure we are responsible with money. But are our transfer issues all down to Wenger and his approach? Or is there a problem behind the scenes with the Arsenal board? Wenger has spent on Ozil, Sanchez and Xhaka showing that he isn't adverse to spending £30-45million on a single player when he wants that player but we then often don't make other signings. Wenger clearly wanted Suarez but the club ****ed it up. I think he has wanted other players like Higuain too. We used to get our transfer targets but more and more over the years we seem to miss out on the targets that Wenger wants. Is there an issue with our negotiating team? And with rumours that the board have refused to sanction a huge money transfer for Griezmann that Wenger wants, could it be that the board have actually stopped Wenger from getting his targets by not putting up the funds but he takes the **** because he understands sometimes why they say no? He isn't the type of manager who would throw the board publicly under the bus. While I understand some of the frustration aimed towards Wenger in regards to transfers and the comments he makes. I am starting to more and more believe that behind the scenes at the club is where a big part of the problem is. If Usmanov was on the board would we have been as frugal? If Dein was still at the club would we have missed out on so many transfers? I think the issue is bigger than just Wenger and even after he retires we may see some of the same problems unless there is change at the club beyond the manager. Is it time the fans directed more of there anger towards the club and not the manager?
Good post, I hinted at this last week but I think my support of another club gave it less weight. You are right, money has been spent on world class players (when they seemed an obvious bargain) but whenever you have been linked to top (excessive cost maybe to some) players there has always been a block. Strikers cost a stupid amount of money, Wenger knows this but also knows he needs a top one. Who has the veto?
Many people, due to Wengers involvement in so much at the club, assume he has free reign to do as he pleases but I think it's the board that are ultimately responsible for pulling off the negotiation when Wenger has chosen his target. Even if Wenger chooses a player he wants and then the price gets to a point that Wenger says "look guys, I'm not sure he is worth that" - if the board already know he wants the player, they can afford it and they have the drive and ambition to push for success they should be saying "that's ok, we know you need him so we will make it happen". I don't buy that Wenger has full responsibility for every aspect of transfers. I think he is involved for sure but there are others involved as well and ultimately the board are his bosses and they could make things happen regardless of his thoughts. While in some aspects pushing against him may seem like going against there loyalty to him, buying a player he wants when he thinks it's overpriced isn't going to annoy him if he has the player he wants. Whatever Wengers flaws may be, the board are guilty of either not supporting him financially, or not pushing him financially. I've said on a few occasions over the last few years that I think there are problems behind the scenes other than the manager which need to be addressed but the manager is the one in the firing line who gets the stick regardless of what the issue is. I'm not suggesting Wenger doesn't have flaws, all managers do and I think most of us can see the areas Wenger falls short after all these years watching his teams. But he also has a lot of positives and there are other aspects of the club which should be shouldering some of the blame.
It's quality not quantity... Anyway, in the current footalling world I disagree that Wenger brings us lots of positives. I think he is one of the most overpaid people in the world in any profession for what he delivers. Yes, most football related people are overpaid anyway, but he really takes the biscuit for value for money. He deserves lots of anger and ire for the insipid and ineffectual management of our club that he's displayed for years and years. You can try to deflect this onto the board to save the manager you seem to still have a lot of time and affection for but it's not going to wash with me.
In answer to the OP - yes, Arsenal fans have been misplacing their anger. It should have always been the Board and most succintly, since the departure of David Dein. Dein would not have allowed Wenger to continue the malaise the club is in, regardless of who is not doing the spending, it is up to the ultimate management to ensure that the club is driving forward. Now, you can paper over the cracks and say in the last four seasons you have finished 4th -3rd - 2nd, but at no time even considered a real danger to win by the time the medals were being awarded. No one can dispute Wenger's first 10 years - although only just ahead of George Graham's 8 in terms of pots (and even GG had a European one to his name), but since, it has just been one continuous Groundhog day. The man is obviously a wum comparing your front line to Real Madrid's - and if he's not he should be shown the door for being a madman. It is not Wenger's fault he has been kept in the position - it's the boards. Many of you don't want the same fate as Man Utd after Fergie - but that fate was sealed by Fergie deciding when he wanted to go rather than the board. If he decides to leave at end of this year, you will have already missed out on many good options. There will never be the right time - that's why it is up to knowledgable boards to take those difficult decisions, unless you've lined up a Guardiola, Klopp etc.
This In Dein's time he and Wenger were right at the sharp end of deals together and got some great business done. I know the game has moved on and transfers and wages in particular have become astronomical, but I think the club lacks that person who is able to force deals over the line like Dein used to do.
Wenger is deeply entrenched in the management and Board so he takes a large slice of the blame. He kickstarted the project and is still managing it. He looks pretty damn smug to me in every interview, never once has he shown displeasure in the way we've approached the transfer market, in fact he revels in it. You guys are clutching at straws trying to defend Wenger, but you all know deep down inside that he's leading the tight arse brigade.
This. I've been saying the same thing for years. We've never replaced Dein, he had contacts all over Europe (he was the one who brought Wenger to the club) and got deals done for us. Instead Wenger took on more responsibilities and we lost a lot of expertise and contacts that we never replaced!
I think we should take articles saying that the board refused to sanction a £100m transfer for Griezmann with a pinch of salt - it could just as likely be BS as have any truth in it. Saying that, I do think that the board to take a lot of responsibility/blame for the current situation. They never replaced Dein. They let Wenger take the flack for everything - it's probably Wenger's idea but still. They haven't pushed Wenger hard enough to improve the squad with big signings that would give the rest of the team confidence, inspire the fans and improve the team, and 2) improve the fitness/training side of the operation to reduce injuries. They have failed spectacularly to get transfer deals completed quickly or in good order - they usually drag on for months and either collapse or end up signing after the season has started. They do not calm/appease the fans enough, they give the impression that there's no plan and they are happy to stagnant, instead of giving a motivated and dynamic front to everyone. Also I do think they should have told Wenger - right you need to make a 'statement' signing, we can afford one, who do you want it to be - tell us and no matter the cost we'll get him. If we had someone like that, then I don't think there'd be half as much discontent amongst the fans.
I agree, it's not all Wenger's fault but it's a combined problem. Wenger took over too many responsibilities and maintained it even after the project was finished. When you have too much power with no one pushing you, sometimes you make mistakes you can't see.
Which can be seen as he's gone from an innovator to a regressive, stubborn manager since he's taken on multiple responsibilities and split his time from just concentrating on footballing activities.
The issue IS bigger than Wenger. By all accounts Wenger wanted Griezmann this window but the board were not willing to sanction the 100m Euro fee for the player. This perhaps illustrates that the frugal nature of our transfer business at least partly comes down to the Club. Not just the manager.
You are all still so certain that if everyone at Arsenal did everything right we would win, even if we knew what that was. I still maintain that you could manage and run the club perfectly and still not win for 100 years, if you didn't get any breaks.
