FOR a man who admits uncertainty over his own contract last term probably cost his club Champions League football, Arsene Wenger seems sanguine about the chaos on the horizon.
If the Frenchman has his way, eight of the squad with which he aims to start the new campaign will be in the situation he was in as the season draws to a close.
Top stars Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere are among those whose contracts expire next summer.
They are then free to leave, which means that Arsenal could be something like £150m out of pocket on their combined current value.
For a club that has set great store by its ability to balance the books that potential loss seems out of character.
But there’s also the problem that those players can talk to foreign clubs from January, making total commitment to the Gunners over the crucial run-in a very difficult ask, psychologically speaking.
Wenger, however, describes this as “the ideal situation”. He even goes further, suggesting that with fees escalating to ridiculous levels, this could be the future – players seeing out their contracts and then re-negotiating or leaving for a better deal.
Wenger has correctly predicted trends in the past and may well be right. However, there can’t be too many Arsenal fans who are happy their club seems to have set itself up as the guinea pig for this brave new world.
Last season Arsenal weren’t good enough to finish in the top four, and it’s hard to see how having eight players in the final months of their deals will improve that situation.
With Europa League commitments and huge investment, particularly by the Manchester clubs, it’s going be very difficult for the Gunners to get back into the Champions League – unless Wenger can squeeze everything from his squad.
Sanchez is the team’s key player. If he is “on it” Arsenal are a match for anyone.
Wenger has left the door slightly ajar for the Chilean to move abroad, but has categorically stated he won’t be sold to another Premier League club and the option to join PSG has receded in the wake of their deal for Neymar.
However, Sanchez prefers to go to Manchester City and Arsenal could get £50m for him tomorrow, offsetting the cost of missing out on the Champions League.
Or, of course, he can join City for nothing next summer.
Despite all the uncertainty, no one was surprised when Wenger signed his new two-year deal in May.
Most felt nothing would change and he will still do things his way. These contract issues typify the stubbornness that has always split the fans.
There’s an uneasy peace just now, but if the team struggles, all the old divisions will resurface and it won’t be long before the first plane trailing a “Wenger Out” banner takes to the skies.
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