Whilst it is without question that Arsene Wenger has brought untold success to Arsenal Football Club, he is not free from scrutiny. Arsenal may have won the double twice under his management but since 2005 have undergone a baron period leading even the most staunch Wengerites to begin to question whether Arsenal will challenge again under the leadership of the 62 year old Frenchman. His inability to keep the best players at the club, as well as being unwilling to pay to bring real talent only scratch the surface as to why it is time for Monsieur Wenger to bid au revoir to the Emirates.
1. Losing Key Players
One thing that Mr Wenger is very successful at is developing young players and helping them reach their potential. We can see that over the years, he has developed world talents such as Thierry Henry and Robin Van Persie, taking them from virtual unknowns and allowing them to blossom under his stewardship. This is something Wenger clearly deserves praise for. However whilst he may be responsible for the transition of unknown to minted footballer, Wengers track record in keeping hold of his stars is unacceptable. No other club in the Premier League seems to lose their best players so regularly as Arsenal. Manchester United may have lost Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009, but what other key players have they lost over the past five years? Wenger has been unable to keep any of his best talents, and more worryingly for Arsenal is that their previous two captains have been the ones to walk. Entering another summer, current captain and last seasons Golden Boot winner Robin Van Persie, has declared that he is not going to sign a contract extension at the Emirates, leaving Wenger now with no other options other than to sell, or see him leave for nothing. Unsurprisingly Man City are sniffing around (again) and interest in the Dutchman is high despite an average European Championships. Should Van Persie leave, he will follow in the footsteps of Thierry Henry, Kolo Toure, Samir Nasri, Emmanuel Adebayor, Gael Clichy and Cesc Fabregas in leaving the Gunners, an exodus that Wenger has to be held accountable for. One argument often trotted out is the mantra that Wenger knows when to sell, but if thats true, how come the same Arsenal fans were so keen to see Henry return last season. Arguably it could be said that Kolo Toure was on the decline as a footballer, but just look at the defensive troubles Arsenal have had in trying to find a partner for Thomas Vermaelen. Moreover, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri can in no way be seen as players on the way down, in fact they are probably entering their prime now, and yet Wenger couldnt keep hold of either and thus lost both in the SAME window. Finally the loss of Gael Clichy has often gone unnoticed, but the French left-back as eased out £17 million Kolarov at City, and played more games than Patrice Evra at Euro 2012 for France. Instead the erratic Andre Santos, who seems more interested in shooting at goal than putting in a tackle, as well as young Kieran Gibbs, who never seems to be fit, have been left to try and replace Clichy who was one of the few in the Gunners squad that could be relied upon for a solid performance. The loss of these key players is on a scale unseen by any big club across Europe and just goes to show Wengers failings in convincing his players that they can challenge for trophies at Arsenal.