Thierry Henry’s suggestion was pounced upon, and now everyone finally seems to agree: Arsenal need surgery. Thus far, the surgeon has escaped lightly.
Having given his all to the cause, Henry questioned this season’s lack of spending to strengthen the squad amid the recriminations that followed Arsenal’s Champions League exit brought about by the boa constrictors of Bayern Munich. The question nagging the minds of the Arsenal board may centre on whether Arsène Wenger is the man to spend more funds.
Highbury belts have been tightened during several years of financing the new £350-million Emirates stadium. Now the board has indicated that there will be a war chest at the end of the season, possibly containing £40-million. Before they hand it to Wenger, they could well go through a bout of soul-searching.
Arsenal do not like sacking managers, having had only 11 in 60 years. It sounds astonishing that they might even think beyond Wenger after nine seasons of unprecedented domestic success, which have brought three titles and three FA Cups, including two Doubles. This year, for the first time under Wenger, they might finish below the top two.
The key word there, though, is domestic. In Europe, Arsenal have lurched and laboured year after year. Last season was the worst. Primed for the semifinals, they lost at home to Chelsea, manifestly then an inferior side. This season they are further away rather than closer. The sight of a clearly frustrated Wenger impotently banging an advertising hoarding as Arsenal went out, like a non-League fan behind the goal, was poignant.
Now Wenger finds himself in a similar situation to Sir Alex Ferguson eight years ago. Ferguson’s first great Eric Cantona-inspired side had come to a cul-de-sac in Europe. He took tough decisions about players, rebuilt – and the prize was the grail of 1999.
Wenger may want to complete 10 years, may want to see inside the new stadium he has helped design – may even deserve that – but without strong measures, Arsenal could slide further, along with the manager’s stock.
The feeling is that it has become too cosy within the club. Certain players are assured of their role, too fond of the manager and his benevolent, paternal treatment. At times Wenger appears too passive off the field and in making changes on it. Feathers have not been, but need to be, ruffled. If the board isn’t thinking the unthinkable, Wenger himself should be over the next few months. He may have several talented young players ready to emerge during the next two years, but he knows, too, that there must be an influx of the finished article.
Despite Jens Lehmann’s occasional acrobatics, a better goalkeeper is required. And while Philippe Senderos looked to be ready after a long spell of injury, getting 50 consistent games out of such a young, temperamentally mercurial player is a tall order. Defence, the basis for European success – attacks win games, defences win titles – remains a priority.
Here Wenger has little history of buying well. Having been fortunate to inherit David Seaman and the legendary back four, he has found little of quality to replace them, from Manuel Almunia through Igor Stepanovs to Pascal Cygan. Ashley Cole was already at the club, Sol Campbell landed in his lap.
Further forward, Freddie Ljungberg and Robert Pires have seen better days. Patrick Vieira begins to look weary, in need of a new challenge. Henry needs a partner to ease his burden. Dennis Bergkamp will not play away from home in Europe.
Wenger has always preferred to pick up the middle-priced player at a younger age, to recruit teachable potential. Nicolas Anelka was his major money-maker for Arsenal, and he has always had a canny eye in that market. Vieira, even Henry, came with years ahead of them. Wenger thought he was getting that, too, with José Antonio Reyes, but the Spaniard pines for home, for Real Madrid.
Now the need is for Wenger to spend bigger than ever in his career to procure the tried and trusted; an Italian defender, a midfield player – perhaps Alessandro Nesta and Steven Gerrard. If he is clever, he might get Reyes to Real and Michael Owen to north London. Both, it is understood, would be open to the idea.
With Kevin Keegan gone and Manchester City in £62-million worth of debt, Shaun Wright-Phillips is now clearly up for sale and should be a target. After all, Wayne Rooney eased cash flow for Everton and enabled them to recruit more, and more cheaply. It could all cost more than $40-million, and Wenger will need therefore to contemplate sales. Cole to Chelsea may even be a bullet worth biting, decent left-back replacements coming cheaper.
Most of it goes against Wenger’s instincts, as he reiterated last week, as a patient team-builder who prefers evolution to revolution. I think the board actually wants him to spend money, as it needs stars to sell out the new stadium. But he has little track record of big spending: £11-million for Henry a price well worth paying, but the £13-million for Reyes looking dubious, with hindsight.
It takes a brave manager to operate in the highest echelon of the market. Rio Ferdinand may have seemed overpriced at £28-million, Rooney at £25-million, but the dividends are emerging and should be clearer in the next few seasons. Ferguson was not afraid of the risk.
And so it is a question for the Arsenal board members – good ones always think about their next manager – of whether they believe Wenger can deal at this level, and deliver, if they are to succeed in Europe. Given the way the game is going, no longer can they afford to be purring domestic panthers but European pussycats. Not when a new 60 000-seat stadium needs filling.
Wenger, too, has decisions to make about his future. He could, such was his stock, probably have landed a top Spanish or Italian job at any time over the past five years. Now, with his record in Europe, there will be second thoughts. He cannot afford for it to fall for much longer.
Like or loathe Jose Mourinho, he does find a way, and his stock rises. Ricardo Carvalho, with Mourinho through a previous and similarly successful and turbulent season at Porto last year, blatantly fouled the Barca goalkeeper Victor Valdes to contribute to John Terry scoring Chelsea’s decisive goal.
None could condone it, but few now remember similar allegations of gamesmanship from Porto’s lifting of the trophy last year.
No French club, no French coach, has won the European Cup since the nation founded the competition, Marseille’s corrupt victory of 1993 now expunged. Wenger would love to be the first proper, in its 50th year, next season. For that to happen, though, and if the Arsenal hierarchy allows him to continue, he is going to have to find another, harsher, more expansive and pragmatic side of himself. – Â