Imagine a person starting up their own business. That one person, who has the vision of a successful company, has the responsibilities of making his product, attracting customers, advertising the business, keeping his finances in balance, paying bills and many other things I don’t care to list or even think about. Running a business is a tough job.
So is being the manager of a large club like Arsenal. So is being part of the board. So is being a scout. It’s tough to be in charge of something at a football club.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed how much power he really holds at the club. How much is too much?
But I can’t imagine how difficult your job would be if you were in charge of all of those things. If we did want to know a question like that, it’s starting to look like we would look no further than Arsene Wenger for an answer. There was a story on ESPN’s website this week about how much power the frenchman really holds at the club. And to be frank, it’s staggering.
What was once foggy is now becoming more clear. Wenger is the top dog. He’s the blue whale swimming around the community pool in northeast London. It now looks like Wenger scouts his own players, is directly involved in the negotiations and decides how much they will make. He also wants to ensure the club stays in the black in regards to finances.
There have been rumors that Arsenal’s board is supportive of bringing in new blood during this transfer window, but Wenger of all people won’t allow that to happen. Is this why he has sold his best players the past couple years and bought dangerously average guys like Gervinho? Who is there to say no to Wenger? Who is there to keep him in check? It appears that the only person Wenger has to really impress is himself. So if we think about this, the direction Arsenal is headed in is essentially decided by one man.
I don’t know about you, but that’s way too much for one person to handle, especially someone in their sixties. That’s also way too much power for one person. After learning about his enormous responsibilities, my frustrations aren’t directed so much at Stan Kroenke, or even Ivan Gazidis. It’s directed at Wenger. This club is no longer a democracy. It’s a dictatorship, and Wenger is the dictator.
And another thought: if Wenger makes all these important decisions, where does that leave Gazidis? What does he actually do? Why is he being paid around £2 million if Wenger has more power than he does?
The simple solution would be to slam the foot down and say no to Wenger. To take some of his power away. To deflate the ego just a tiny bit. But how much does the club want to do that? Will Wenger let that happen? Why doesn’t Wenger just focus on typical managing and match day duties? He needs to ask for help. He needs to let other people have a say. If not, there will be another seven years of no silverware. Just a tired old man with too much power.
-Mike
