The whole board involvement in transfer is a murky area for me. In general (and not nessrily in Arsenal’s case)I don’t feel as if non football people should really have a say in how the manager shapes his squad.
I wouldn’t like the idea of the board pressuring any future manager or even Wenger to spend. The manager is the football expert for a reason, if he values cohesion and frugal spending then he should be judged on his results and performance alone. If you’re not happen with the results get rid or don’t offer an new contract
I mean I think Wenger should just say who he wants and then leave it and let them do their jobs I think he interferes too much in things that don’t really have anything to do with him.
Which is probably why he doesn’t like to hire Ex-players because they’ll tell Wenger whats what and he wont suffer anyone telling him anything, let alone how to do his fucking job.
I will hate myself as a human being if I am forced to watch “Transfer Deadline Day” with Jim White. There will be no going back for me after that.
Of all the quasi-sins I have committed in my life (e.g. pretending I have no change to homeless people, swearing at Jehovah’s Witnesses for ringing my door bell on a Sunday morning, having a soft spot for Luis Suarez etc) - this will be the thing that tips the scales towards an eternity of damnation.
The manager of United can say I want X player, leave it to his chief exec and not worry about the cost of bringing that player to the club because of United’s massive income.
But that’s a risky strategy for a club like Arsenal. We have finite budget, we have always ensure we get the value for money, we have to smart in the market. The next manager will have to balance the need for the player against the potential cost, he’ll have to actively involved in some way in the valuation. The manager is the football expert after all and will have a better sense of value than transfer negotiators.
The way we’ll do business after Wenger will be nothing like what we’ve seen over the last couple of years. The manager should really have the big say on whose brought in and how much for
I used to HATE SAF with a passion, but the more i think about it the more i’ve come to realise what an exceptional manager the man was. he stayed hungry and kept winning things his entire career. can’t say the same of our dithering diplodocus. granted SAF didn’t have a stadium to build which put a strain on finances, but the point still stands. and it’s not as if Wenger didn’t have the chance to win a couple more titles but failed to for whatever reason/s.
That could be the most important decision Ivan has to make. If we create a more Continental structure with a Head of Recruitment or DOF to oversee spending and a manager who is tasked with preparing the team to succeed and nothing more.
Yeah my boss doesn’t dictate how I do my job, how I use resources, etc., but he DOES set goals and objectives and any “growth” manager will tell you “if you don’t hit your target AND underspend, you are f*ing fired.”
I truly believe there needs to be someone who is responsible for buying players and given how much control Arsene has over both the playing side and recruitment side I’d be in favor of a DOF coming in to ciphen some of that power away from the next manager. It’s a very public way of showing that the next manager is subordinate to someone instead of our current set up where the CEO is subordinate to the manager!
Like a said before bringing in DOF creates a murky situation. The manager is the football expert, they have a better sense of quality in the market and how potential signings fit into their tactics. Any sort of relationship between a manager and a DOF has to place the manager ahead of him in every way. A DOF should be a manager’s tool to get deals done
The manager, imo, should always have the final say on whose brought in and should only have to answer to the board in relation to his performance and results as manager.
I agree. I want to know where the buck stops and if you have diluted accountability, it is harder to make work. He has an entire coaching and training staff - he should be delegating appropriately on all fronts, but in the end, it should be crystal clear who we credit success or blame failure on… the only other authority is the Board and Directors but they should give full reign to the manager (within budgetary direction).
I just want to point out that we haven’t had an actively playing captain for about 4 years.
Wenger consistently makes players who are out with long term injuries our captain for God knows what reason. Vermaelen > Arteta > Mertesacker. For some reason Wenger insists on taking players who have been ruled out for ages and making them captain even though they aren’t anywhere near the pitch.
I get that it’s often just a symbolic role and that it has its off-the-pitch role as well, but it’s still baffling.
But it’s beyond the point of pressure, club legends and supporters from other clubs are sympathizing for Arsenal because they really do believe that if Arsenal just add 1 or 2 players then they could have a team to genuinely fight for the title. And if it doesn’t happen well then come up with a different strategy for next season. But to have the start to this season while dicking around with the transfer window is a joke. Meanwhile the title rivals did their business in the summer and look, 2 wins from 2. We should’ve been optimistic going into this season, not shitting our pants against Liverpool with an inexperience central defense, key players missing from the Euros with no replacements brought in, and 1 point from 2 matches. It’s panic instead of hope.