A feeling about the end of an era increased yet again yesterday, the appointment of respected Barcelona director of football Raul Sanllehi as the club’s new head of football relations further diluting the once-omnipotent French manager’s power base developed during 21 contrasting years.
This latest development follows less than a week since soothsaying scout Sven Mislintat, who snapped up Shinji Kagawa, Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang et al, was drafted in to oversee recruitment. These steps are clear assaults on Wenger.
As a man for whom absolute control is an absolute must, the undercutting endeavours of his chief executive will surely raise ire.
Gazidis exists as a polarising figure among the Gunners faithful. Chastisement has regularly been reserved for the man labelled as a facilitator of Wenger and the intransigent neglect he has overseen.
Blame for the north Londoners’ 13-year wait for Premier League glory or the end of a 20-year stretch in the Champions League has been shared out, yet Gazidis’ work to enact revolution behind the scenes requires adept timing to reach fruition.
When toppling a dictator, momentum is key. Forget #wengerout, real ferment arrived the moment access to the riches from Europe’s elite club competition was denied.
Welcome to the club, Raul Sanllehi https://t.co/Ihm6vRriVd
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) November 28, 2017
Wenger has rallied against the increased use of analytics, a noted desire of Gazidis, making Arsenal’s purchase of StatDNA in December 2012 previously moot. He also strongly opposed the introduction of a technical director both publicly and privately in the build-up to the contentious signing of a two-year contract extension last summer.
How the mood has now changed. Chief scout and major ally Steve Rowley has been sidelined into virtual retirement, with chief negotiator – for the last eight years – Dick Law suffering the same fate.
This shouldn’t be a surprise. The men who once snapped up Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira and Robin van Persie have underwhelmed for too long with the likes of Andre Santos, Lukas Podolski and Granit Xhaka.
Yesterday’s revelations in France superstar Antoine Griezmann’s autobiography that, “I waited, I waited, and I kept waiting” in 2013 will only fuel approval of the changes.
Signs of life have flickered with Wenger in 2017/18, a peerless home record enhanced by a late winner at Burnley last weekend propelling them into the top four.
But the end of his era inexorably approaches. It’s now Gazidis’ time.
