Arsenal: Arsene Wenger’s one thing is absolute minimum

Arsene Wenger has given a piece of advice to his successor: to solely commit themselves to Arsenal football club. It was always his one thing, and it is the minimum that the next man must do.

Arsene Wenger is a controversial, divisive figure. While his early Arsenal years are irrefutably wonderful, bringing a unique joy and success to the club’s and country’s football, more recently, the achievements have tailed off, the gusto has seeped away, and the unity of the fans and the club has splintered.

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Throughout these more turbulent latter years, there have been major questions hang over Wenger’s reign. Some have doubted his managerial qualities; others have wondered whether he was that good in the first place.

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But there has been one quality that could never be called into question: his commitment. And now, in giving advice to his successor, whoever that may be, something that Wenger would not be drawn on in his press conference, Wenger highlighted the importance of a manager’s willingness to lay down everything at the feet of the club:

"“[My successor] will need to make this club the priority of his life and commit completely and totally like he owns the club. There is no other way to manage a club of this stature than to think that my life depends on what is going on here. They must give absolutely everything to do well.”"

If there is anything that Wenger cannot be doubted for having, it is a commitment to the club. This is a man who has sacrificed 22 of the best years of his life to this club. He is solely focused on Arsenal. He is blinkered. He is relentless. He is undeterred and undistracted. He is totally committed to the club.

And that, as Wenger rightly says and demonstrates, proving that he is a man of integrity and not just wise but empty words, is the minimum expectation of any manager coming to the Emirates to succeed him.

There is still very little known about the kind of manager that Ivan Gazidis and the board are looking for. They haven’t looked for a manager for more than 20 years, and there have been very few developments over the past two weeks, with no name heavily linked with the role at this point. We don’t know really know what qualities they want in a manager.

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Nevertheless, there is one that is an absolute minimum and it has been wonderfully portrayed by Wenger for 22 years: Commitment.