3. Allowing Contracts To Run Down
SCOTT HEPPELL/AP/Press Association ImagesOne of the biggest sources of frustration for fans when it comes to Arsene Wenger is the Frenchman's baffling acceptance of letting the contracts of star players run down into their final 12 months before opening talks of a renewal. The most notable example of this is Robin van Persie who, entering the final season of his deal at the Emirates, held the club to ransom in 2012 when he announced he would not be staying at the Gunners. Knowing that they could lose him for nothing in 2013, Wenger was begrudgingly forced to sell the Dutchman to Manchester United two years ago. There have been other examples. Unforgivably, Samir Nasri did the exact same thing to Arsenal just one year prior to RVP's situation, and engineered a move to Man City with just one year left on his deal too. Wenger's inability to learn from that mistake probably cost him van Persie, and he might even have been able to get a bigger fee for the strikers' sale had he still had a few years left to go on his deal. Wenger's career at Arsenal has been littered with controversial player exits. Edu, Mathieu Flamini and Robet Pires all left the club for free following disputes. These are facts that will probably be omitted from the eulogies when Wenger retires from football management in the future.