Bye bye Arsene

As the title suggests Arsene Wenger has resigned from Arsenal.

Who will replace him?

Rafa??

 

As I said on the Warm Glow thread. I think Rafa will be on the list but quite far down.

Tuchel and Allegri have been linked over a long period. Tuchel makes sense in stylistic terms.

I personally think they should go for Simeone if they want to win.

If they went left field then obviously Marcelo Gallardo is the man for the job.

 

We got Wenger sacked.

#MackemLogic

 

Pardew's still a free agent I think

 

I don't know how to react to the fact that Rafa put the final nail in his coffin.

He certainly has been a top manager, though unlike Rafa, hasn't tried managing in this country on a shoestring or outside the big money league.

 

Just wait for his autobiography to come out

Start saving now as it will be bigger than Encyclopedia Britanica
Available in 22 volumes

Q. What did it really feel like when Tiote scored that goal
A. well. hmmm. I did not see it

 

I think it'll be Conte

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43834283

Wow.

 

I won't miss him, his myopic considerations and constant moaning when Arsenal didn't get it their way wore too thin, he has been drifting along for too many seasons and should really have gone 2 years ago, I am sure the great and the good will be queueing up to eulogise his time and departure.

 

I think whoever his replacement is will have already been decided and agreed. I suspect that rules Rafa out.

 

It's a 'meh' from me ................................ who gives a ****!!

 

I didn't see this happening...

 

Those long coat manufacturers....

 

Who I can only assume had big issues with missing pockets and faulty zips.

 

I'll miss him in a way. He's been around the whole time I've been into football so seeing him every season was almost comforting.

Of course his slow decline as a manager also helped. Next year we're looking at City, Manure, Pool, Spurs and re-invigorated Chelsea and Arsenal, along with an Allardyce-less Everton.

That's some serious competition before you even consider the rest and we can't compete with Bournemouth on funding.

 

I actually feel we have a chance to compete for 6th-7th if we keep Rafa. It will be tough going but possible if he keeps positively progressing our players and has a decent amount to spend in the summer. I would hope/expect £60-£80million depending on what we can bring in from Mitro etc. Should think that will outstrip the spending of Bournemouth and similar and if we can manage to root out some bargains (a few still exist, Merino, Lejeune and Dubravka style) it could go quite far.

Of course, we are likely to have to blow a large wedge of it signing a striker worthy of the name.

 

I’m quite excited by Merino for next season. He will have learnt loads this year. He just a young boy so he is still near the start of his development curve. There were signs of special ability early on. We need to eek it out of him on a consistent basis. Dubravka signing would be massive too.

 

Some of that does come with it's own risk mind. For every success there's a Manquillo, Lazaar, Joselu. Paying these small sums makes it a bit of an inevitability.

I agree though, we could manage something a bit silly for expectations with the right amount. As the teams grown over the last couple of seasons, if 3 out of 6 transfers paid off this summer, and we kept our current squad, then we could still look at nicking a Euro spot looking at teams now, but not after they've had their summer spend

Whether the others spend is another thing. I honestly think we'll spend the same or less than Bournemouth if Fatty's still in charge. Whilst I rate the scouting system here to pick out a bargain, I also rate Bournemouth's ability at buying their own talent. They got Ake and Begovic for 30m this season. I reckon they'll be spending a lot more next season like.

 

Wenger obviously managed Arsenal to truly great success many years ago. But the most remarkable thing he did is transform the boring defence-first Arsenal of my formative years, famous for their lucky 1-0 wins, into a pretty castle built on sand.