Arsenal: Laurent Koscielny debacle more proof of directionless leadership

The controversial departures of the chief executive, head of recruitment and head of performance suggested that Arsenal suffered from directionless leadership. The Laurent Koscielny debacle only adds to the mounting evidence.

It was always cast as a warning throughout the darker Arsene Wenger periods. While fans were baying for blood and demanding the great man depart, those that still staunchly stood by him argued that no one really knew just how much he was protecting Arsenal and those mismanaging the club behind the scenes.

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Wenger was the face of the football club. He took the brunt of the blame, sacrificing his own reputation for the failure of the team, whether it was his doing or not. That, at least, was the thinking of his decreasing number of believers.

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It was impossible to know whether they were right at the time. It is impossible to know now, not with any certainty, anyway. But to see how the football club has spiralled out of control in Wenger’s absence does at least hint at an element of accuracy. Perhaps Wenger did more than many of us ever realised.

When Wenger announced his forced resignation last season, it was hoped that Arsenal would be led into a new, modernised, competitive era. A new management team had assembled, Unai Emery was introduced as a head coach and not a manager; there was a sense of hope for the future, despite all of the problems that were inherited from the Wenger tenure.

But over the course of the last year, this newly cobbled together team has disbanded, one after the other, all under a cloud of controversy.

The mastermind of the vision, chief executive Ivan Gazidis, flirted with a new project at AC Milan almost as soon as Wenger walked out the door. Within three months, he was gone. Head of recruitment Sven Mislintat soon followed, then head of performance, Darren Burgess, a widely renowned fitness coach left this summer. And now, to top it all off, the club captain, Laurent Koscielny, has refused to travel with the first team for the U.S. pre-season tour and is demanding his contract be ripped up so that he can return to France.

There is, of course, plenty to unpack here, little of it encouraging. And there are lots of reasons why these individuals left their roles. Football is rarely black and white. But at the heart of these calamitous situations, the hapless exits, the diabolical behaviour, and the rank unprofessionalism of an apparently professional football club is a lack of direction, purpose, and leadership, and that stems from the very top.

Owner Stan Kroenke takes a lot of flak. Most of it is warranted, but sometimes he is probably painted with a broader, more critical brush than is truthful. Nevertheless, when it comes to the leadership and the culture of the club, it is up to the owner to set the tone. He is the one the buck stops with, and at this point, it is flying over his head and into the wilderness behind, no one vaguely interested in taking responsibility for the demise.

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These relentless and controversial exits are a clear symptom of a lack of inspiration, hope, expectation and character. They do not care for the club or they are uninspired by those in charge of the club or, even worse, they are desperate to pack their bags and jump ship before the sinking really starts. Whichever you choose, Kroenke is the foundational reason and the chief problem. Arsenal are directionless, and the Koscielny mess only adds to the mounting evidence. Where is Wenger when you need him?

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