So the season has finished rather well for Arsene Wenger and all of his supporters. I’ve been largely pro-Wenger, notwithstanding a few reservations, and I was confident he would sign an extension. I just could not see the Arsenal board having the appetite or desire for a new manager. I think their sanity would have been questioned, were they to have embarked on a search for a new manager. Arsene has helped to significantly boost the share price. Why on earth would they sack him??
I’m just pleased the uncertainty has ended. It’s not exactly the break of a new dawn (his detractors, though small in number, are pretty vocal and will continue to cause unrest within our fanbase) but it is a feeling that we can move on to a large extent. The key now is to do our transfer business as soon as possible. There is no excuse now. There is no need for some mad, frenzied supermarket sweep for players come the end of August once the transfer window ends. The signing of Schalke left-back Sead Kolasinac looks an excellent bit of business. I can’t see our team being bullied with Sead in our team. Even looking at him in the tunnel pre-match will cause a rising level of apprehension from opponents. But not only do we need new signings but we need to get some key players to sign extensions.
I’ve given up on keeping hold of Sanchez. I think his head has been turned with all the talk of Bayern Munich’s interest. His heart seems set on a new challenge and he leaves with my best blessings. Interestingly, the package offered by Bayern may not match the huge pay increase we’re offering. But he’ll still get a pay increase on what he’s earning now, and I can’t see any way he can stay. Ozil, however, will stay on. He’s settled in London, he loves playing under Wenger and to be honest, I’m not sure if any of the really big clubs in Europe would be interested in him. I think we still need another midfielder (I’d love Panic from Roma) and of course, a world-class striker to replace Sanchez.
The squad in my view is looking pretty healthy in many respects. The likes of Cech, Monreal, Koscielny, Ramsey, Carzola (I pray he can go the season fully fit) and Giroud should be good for another season. The likes of Coquelin, Elneny, Walcott and Gabriel are still decent squad players (I hope they can keep Thursday evenings clear) and there’s always the return of Wilshere and Chambers to boost our numbers. But it’s the younger members of the squad which really excites me. Holding, Gibbs, Ox, Xhaka, Iwobi and Welbeck all look good to kick on next season. What I would love is a really world-class figure who would shake up our squad and give a real boost to our fanbase. Think of a Zlatan but five years younger. I’m not sure it’s in Wenger’s make-up to bring in such a superstar. But that would give our season a wonderful sense of momentum. God knows the club can afford it.
Of course the upcoming season has already been given a boost by the fantastic FA Cup win. I got hold of a ticket late on and it was a spectacular day. I was disappointed my nephew and brother could not attend with me (my nephew still thinks I watched the game in the pub) and it did take the gloss off the day for me. It was a relatively low key build to the match. Just a few beers in a Wembley pub. Looking back, I think I was fearing the worst. A nagging fear that we would be dominated by a much mentally stronger, successful team. But boy did our players turn up. Every player performed. It was a brilliant team performance. There were still plenty of nerves during the 90 minutes (largely in due to our inability to make our dominance count) and the Chelsea equaliser was a crushing blow. And then 22 seconds later, there was bedlam in our end. The scenes will never be forgotten. One bloke sitting behind me ended up 10 rows ahead of his seat. He virtually crowd surfed a good 20 meters when Ramsey scored. I think the frustrations of the season were evident in those crazy seconds. The celebrations following the match were long and vibrant. I was exhausted as I headed back down Wembley Way and I enjoyed mixing with the Chelsea fans. There were a few heated discussion, the odd scuffle or two but generally the day ended pretty harmoniously. They had enjoyed a great season and the vast majority of Chelsea fans didn’t begrudge our success. As one said me, ‘I can just about stomach losing to you lot. It would have been agony had it been Spurs…’
So the season has ended, I’m going to welcome a break from football but I’m already looking forward to the Community Shield in August.