Arsenal: Evolution not revolution the key to success

Arsenal are in need of change as they enter the biggest summer of Arsene Wenger’s 21-year tenure. However, while cries for revolution may still be heard, it is evolution that is the key to success.

It was a turbulent season for Arsenal. It started so brightly. While the panic and the worry of a rather anonymous summer set in after a disastrous opening day loss to Liverpool thanks to the lack of a striker or centre-back, by October, the top of the Premier League was where they perched, having dismantled Chelsea in truly scintillating fashion.

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And yet, the annual nervy November, followed by two away losses in December, saw the Gunners drop nine points off the title pace. All that proceeded was further despair. Losses to Watford, Crystal Palace and West Brom saw their top four hopes dwindle, and despite a late-season, stirring recovery thanks to an unlikely tactical change, for the first time in his tenure, over two decades, were unable to maintain their unblemished Champions League qualification record.

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All such failure took place amid the historic 10-2 humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich, the second worst aggregate loss in Champions League history. It was far from a prosperous time and it led to large sections of the fanbase, many members of the media and even former players, including John Hartson, to call for revolution: namely the replacement of Arsene Wenger.

I think you would be hard pressed to find an Arsenal fan who does not welcome the notion of change. Certainly, the FA Cup final victory was a sign that success can be had under the current regime. But it is limited. Limited by the investment of the board. Limited by the ambition of the club and the owner. Limited by the philosophies of the manager and his coaching staff.

But change does not have to be wholesale. Maintaining the same personnel does not negate change. In fact, evolution of character is one of the most profound and impactful changes that can be made. It is one that often leads to longest lasting effects.

And that is what Arsenal should be pining for. A change of character. That may seem like a dream, a hopeless wish that lacks even a semblance of reality. But in the early days of the transfer window, while Silent Stan Kroenke may still be the suffocating majority shareholder, I believe that Wenger has heard the cries for the new.

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Whether he will act on his hearing, only time will tell. But this club would be far more secure and prosperous with a changed Wenger, rather than changing Wenger; with a changed direction, rather than a new leader; with evolution, not revolution.