Arsenal: Alex Iwobi presents tension of change nicely

Alex Iwobi has stated how he is both sad that Arsene Wenger has left and is excited for Arsenal’s future under Unai Emery. He presents the tension of change nicely.

It will be very weird to see Arsenal play next season without Arsene Wenger stood on the touchline. I am still not sure that I have mentally prepared myself for it. It will be the first time that I have ever seen such an occurrence. It will be very weird.

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And yet, like many others, change is what I wanted. While romantically, I still wanted Wenger to stay — the prospect of him winning a title was more alluring then ten titles under another manager to me, however absurd that may seem –, logically, it was unavoidably the right decision. But that does not mean that it won’t be weird. It is the natural tension of change.

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And Alex Iwobi, speaking in the programme notes for Nigeria’s 2-1 friendly loss to England on Saturday, presented that tension of change nicely:

"“I was surprised by his decision. [Wenger] has been there for me since I joined the club and has been very inspirational and influential on my career, but I am excited having our new manager [Emery] next season.”"

For Iwobi especially, there was a closeness and fatherly familiarity with Wenger like few other players in the squad — or players and any manager, for that matter. This is an individual who was in the Arsenal academy since the age of six. He slowly worked his way up the pyramid, graduating from the academy, joining the youth and reserve teams, and then becoming a fully-fledged member of the first team. And throughout that whole time, Wenger was the manager.

So for Iwobi, perhaps more than most, having Unai Emery standing on the touchline next season, and not Wenger, will be a peculiar sensation. And yet, the peculiarness, that oddity, the sense of unknown and uncertainty that comes with the new is also exciting. It is the fine line between nervousness, fear, and anticipation.

I suspect that this is the weird flux of feeling that many of the current Arsenal players are experiencing currently, and will probably continue experiencing for some time, even as the new season commences. No Wenger is weird. It will be for a while.

But that does not mean that Emery does not bring a refreshing sense of expectation and hope. This is a project that has a lot of work to do. There are many issues that must be solved; the domestic and European rivals, though the latter is probably a tenuous link at this point, such is the depths of the Gunners’ dip, are quite a way ahead and there is much ground to be made up. But Emery, along with Ivan Gazidis and Sven Mislintat, seem to have a plan in place. That is exciting.

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And so, the summer of uncertainty will continue to roll on, with many reminiscing on the Wenger-era, some ecstatic for the future, and others, like Iwobi, caught somewhere in between. This is a summer of change, and that brings a tension of feeling. It is a weird time to be around the Emirates.