Arsene Wenger insists he’s still the right man for the Arsenal job, which is fine and all… but maybe he should consider asking himself these questions before insisting that he’ll honour the remaining season of his contract.
4Is pride or fear worth more than the club he loves?
Wenger loves Arsenal and, while he’s a brilliant man, he’s still human. I therefore have no doubt in my mind that he’s terrified of leaving the club behind, doesn’t really know what he’ll do next and doesn’t want to either.
Despite the state of the club, it feels like he’s gripping on by his fingernails and it’s sad to see, because it’s embarrassing. When he speaks to the press about still being the right man for the job, despite Arsenal struggling against just about every team they encounter, it makes fans cringe.
In 2016, Wenger admitted that he was scared to leave Arsenal, saying, “It’s been my life and, honestly, I’m quite scared of the day.
“The longer I wait, the more difficult it will be and the more difficult it will be to lose the addiction.
“After Alex retired and we played them over there [at Manchester United] he sent a message to me to come up and have a drink with him. I asked: ‘Do you miss it?’ He said: ‘Not at all.’ I didn’t understand that. It’s an emptiness in your life, especially when you’ve lived your whole life waiting for the next game and trying to win it.”
Therefore, you can understand why he’s finding it so hard to finally say enough is enough. Plus, there’s the issue of his pride. The man is stubborn and the idea that there are people out there who are right about him no longer being up to the task of managing Arsenal probably kills him.
But he needs to put this to one side. If he really does love the club, which I truly believe he does, he has to realise that his fear over leaving the job he’s had for almost 22 years is nothing compared to the emotions he’ll feel if he takes a step back and realises he’s ruined his legacy.