Arsenal: Arsene Wenger’s willingness to walk away an instigation

Arsene Wenger has revealed that, if things do not go well at Arsenal, he is willing to walk away. That provides an impetus and instigation that is much-needed.

Arsenal have, rightly, been determined as a club sinking into mediocrity. They lack any semblance of activity or impetus, they are happy to settle for the safe and secure, even if that means sacrificing success, and they have slumped out of the top four and the Champions League as a result. There is no driving force, no invigoration, no instigation.

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There are many reasons for this. The stagnation of the squad. The silence and inaction of the board. The continuity of the coaching staff. But perhaps the most significant one is the surety of the presence of Arsene Wenger.  His being at Arsenal is seemingly guaranteed. There is no manager in world football that has the same job security as Wenger. Or at least that was we thought.

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In an interview with BEIN Sports, Wenger revealed that, while the reports of him stating that his position would be reviewed at the end of the season are a little contorted, and on this, I agree with him, he is willing to walk away before the end of his contract, which currently runs to the summer of 2019, two seasons from now:

"“I said I sit down with the board every end of season and see where we go from there – so that’s not exactly the same. That’s as well sometimes you know, you make a sentence and people turn it the way they would like to see it. That’s what I said – I have a two-year contract, I will always try to go to the end of my contract but always have the honesty to sit down with the board and see where we go from there. So that’s quite simple.”"

Wenger’s willingness to leave is important. Arsenal seem, in contrast, unwilling to sack him. So, in order to have some semblance of a driving force, a stick with which to bring motivation, it is vital that Wenger does not hold the club by the balls and entrench himself in a position that is utterly unchallengeable and unchangeable.

Now, would it be better if the board provided Wenger with some form of a threat if things turned sour once more? Absolutely. There is no denying that. But as a compromise, to at least give Arsenal a little impetus, Wenger stating that he will only stay respective to his performance does help.

There is no accountability with the club. Not with the players. Not with the coach. Not with the board. Not with the manager. That was made abundantly clear in the dismissive and downright rude way that Sir Chips Keswick dealt with minority shareholders at the AGM in October.

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So at least Wenger is willing to be accountable to himself. It’s not perfect. It’s not even good. But it’s better than nothing. And, for now, that will have to do.