Arsenal and Arsene Wenger: Is this thorough or tentative?
It has now been a little short of two weeks since Arsene Wenger announced his resignation. Are Arsenal being thorough or tentative in their search for a successor?
It is the most important choice that this club has to make in 22 years. Even in modern football where the influence and power of the position have gradually deteriorated, deciding who the manager of a football team is still the most significant and vital decision that a footballing organisation will make.
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For Arsenal, it is not a decision that they have had to face. While many of their rivals have been enjoying the relentless managerial merry-go-round that comes with an insatiable desperation for instant success, the Gunners have steadied the ship with just one captain for more than two decades.
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While Arsene Wenger is not the most popular man at the Emirates anymore — he will still be celebrated and praised for his whole body of the work during this extended goodbye –, he has taken on the brunt of the responsibility and the criticism because of his consistency and his longevity. But with his impending departure at the end of the year, that is no more. Arsenal must move on.
That announcement, however, came just under two weeks ago. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that the club knew that it was coming before that. There have been suggestions that they did not want to initiate a search for a new manager prior to Wenger’s announcement out of respect for him, knowing that there would be leaks to the press prior to the certainty of a press release that is done on their and Wenger’s terms.
Nevertheless, Ivan Gazidis has had plenty of time to primer his candidates, assess who he wants, and begin the quest to hire Wenger’s successor. One name that has been strongly linked with the job, Patrick Vieira, for instance, has had no contact with Arsenal whatsoever, per Sky Sports.
Obviously, Vieira may not be Gazidis’ first choice. He may not be the man that the club have highlighted as the individual that they want. But the question of hesitation still remains pertinent: Are Arsenal being thorough in their search or tentative in their decision-making?
I do not know the answer to that question. Certainly, given that they are not going to be bringing the manager to London Colney to work before the end of the season, time is on their side. But that does not mean that they have the freedom of dithering. Chelsea could well be looking for a new manager; Paris Saint-Germain may have already taken Thomas Tuchel off the table; even Spurs or Real Madrid could be looking for a new manager this summer if things fall a certain way. And then that does not include all the international jobs that will likely open up.
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Arsenal need to be both detailed and decisive. I would not quite say that they are dithering just yet, but if this process drags on a couple more weeks, their tentativeness will begin to shine through. That inspires little confidence in the most important decision of the club’s recent history.