Now that it is confirmed that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has signed a contract extension which will keep him at the club till 2019, the fans must stop their rants and start backing the club more than ever since next season will very crucial.
In order to get the full backing of all the Gooners around the world, certain things need change. Here are the 3 things that Wenger needs to do:
1. Clear Deadwood and Extend Contracts
Ever since Wenger started playing the new 3-4-3 formation the Gunners have looked high on confidence. However, some players just don’t fit the system so it is important to sell players who are surplus to requirements and free up the wages. We definitely need to reconstruct our wage structure in order to make Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil (whose contracts end in 2018) extend their contracts.
For that, we need to sell fringe players like Theo Walcott (who is on insanely high wages), Lucas Perez (who isn’t given much game time), Yaya Sanogo, Mathieu Debuchy, Joel Campbell etc. If we get rid of the deadwood we’ll not only be able to give Sanchez and Ozil lucrative contracts but we’ll also be able to extend the contracts of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as well in the summer (as their contracts also end in a year).
2. Choose an established Director of Football and a proper full-time captain
The Director of Football issue has to be looked after definitely. Teams like RB Leipzig, Juventus, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Southampton have been immensely successful due to the introduction of sporting directors. Hence Wenger and Kroenke must sit together, let go of their egos and decide on bringing a sporting director to the club who would ease the pressure on the manager and the board.
Former Arsenal winger Marc Overmars was reportedly a candidate for the job according to several news outlets. But that was a month ago. Hence the club should somehow sort out the sporting director issue for the betterment of the club.
One more thing that’s bothering the club is the lack of a proper full-time captain. Over the seasons we have had non-playing captains like Thomas Vermaelen, Mikel Arteta and now Per Mertesacker. Koscielny filled in for Mertesacker during his long injury layoff hence he could be made the new captain of the team.
On the other hand, the hard working Sanchez could also be considered for the job. Or even players like Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Granit Xhaka and Rob Holding can be looked up for the job as well. But somehow the club must announce a new full-time captain soon in order to motivate the players on the field (like a certain Patrick Vieira maybe).
3. Invest considerable amount of money in luring top talents to fill the voids
Once the team is done with clearing deadwood, hiking the wage structure, extending contracts, assigning a sports director and a new full-time captain, Wenger must concentrate on bringing invaluable talents to fill in the voids at the club.
The primary target must be a striker who can convert 9 out of 10 chances. Since joining Arsenal, Ozil has been creating an enormous number of chances which often go wasted. Players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Kylian Mbappe, Alexandre Lacazette, Andrea Belotti etc. have reportedly made up their minds to join bigger clubs in the summer.
Though the Gunners don’t have Champions League football, Manchester United’s acquisition of Paul Pogba last season has proved that lucrative offers might tempt the players to join the club.
Arsenal’s former target Riyad Mahrez has also reportedly handed in a transfer request. He would be an amazing addition to the north London club’s 3-4-3 formation. Hence getting him would provide the Gunners with an added incentive since they have to cope up with Thursday night football.
And last but not the least a new central midfielder or central defensive midfielder is essential. We need someone to bridge the defense and offense perfectly. As of now, there hasn’t been any concrete news on a midfield player linked with Arsenal this summer but Arsenal fans must hope that the club gets someone soon.
From now on it’s a huge task ahead of Wenger and the board to put aside a disappointing season and win some major trophy apart from Wenger’s favorite FA Cup (Premier League preferably or Europa League) next season. Only time will tell if Wenger’s contract extension is the right decision or not. COYG!!
