Wenger has much to think about
If Arsene Wenger was hoping for a quiet summer in the Alsace he will have been disappointed as the club keeps coming up in the news, with most of the attention naturally about his players.
Samir Nasri has spent the past few weeks sharing with all those who follow Arsenal that he has not made up his mind whether to stay, which will be part of the talks about his future with the over the cling weeks – as he is out of contract in 12 months.
“There is not much to say apart from don’t listen to all the rumours and everything that is written or said,” Nasri told the club’s magazine.
“Earlier in the season I spoke with the boss and we said we would talk during the summer, which is what we are going to do.”
A lack of ambition at the club triggered Alisher Usmanov, the Uzbek billionaire and Arsenal shareholder, to state his view, that self-interest among the board members is limitng the club's chances on the field.
"If the role of a board member is to oversee a trophyless period while making significant personal profits and asking fans to pay inflation-busting ticket price increases then, no, I would not want to be on the board.”
Arsenal's season really ended following their Carling Cup final defeat to Birmingham last February, with their challenges in the Champions League, FA Cup and Premier League also crumbling at an early stage.
Usmanov is of the opinion that Wenger needs to be given the financial backing to bring in experienced players to complement the talented young players they have on their books.
"The Premier League is one of the most competitive in the world and whilst we have consistently challenged for honours, the club needs to develop talent and buy top-class players. This requires greater investment which, I believe, has been lacking thus far.
One of those players on the books became part of the story again, when the Barcelona president Sandro Rosell warned Arsenal they can expect a bid of less than the €40 million the Catalan club offered for Cesc Fabregas last year - if the European Champions decide to pursue the player again this summer.
"If last summer we offered €40 million for Cesc, and since then there has been wear and tear, now he's worth less," Rosell said.
As part of their future planning Fabregas is undoubtedly molded to fit the Guardiola system at Camp Nou, and as the year's tick by on Xavi, replacements will be need. Albeit Iniesta and Pedro are a few years younger at the moment.
With other positions needing to be filled in the squad - in goal and defence - the departure of Fabregas would be untimely to sya the least for Wenger.
Over the past five years Arsenal have seen Ashley Cole leave, along with Kolo Toure, Emanuel Adebayor, Aleksandr Hleb, and Mathieu Flamini.
When Arsenal last won the Premier League in 2004, and the more recent FA Cup win in 2005, the stalwarts were Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Freddie Ljunberg and Robert Pires – all of whom have also gone.
For the moment Wenger will be planning for the pre-season, which kicks off in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 11, in a game against a Malaysia XI in the Bukit Jalil Stadium.
It will be followed by a trip to Hangzhou, in China, where they will play against Chinese Super League side, Hangzhou Greentown on Saturday, July 16.
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