Arsène Wenger has lost more than a player. The sense of control that he once radiated effortlessly has been replaced by an embattled air. Cesc Fábregas's move to Barcelona was more a matter of destiny than likelihood, but Arsenal have had no say in even the timing. With many transfers already completed in this window, Wenger cannot have wished to go looking for a true replacement in mid-August. In practice, he may be obstinate and calm enough to wait, but supporters tend not to take it for granted any more that he is equipped with a higher knowledge.
The Fábregas issue cannot have come as a complete shock yet the club appears stricken. Talk of the midfielder moving to Barcelona has been so pervasive and tedious that it resembled muzak, but now there is just a hushed anxiety for Arsenal. The Fábregas issue will rankle with any fan at the Emirates. In view of the guaranteed sum of around £26m negotiated, this is no fire sale but the club would have anticipated more even in quite recent times.
Wenger has not been able to control the Samir Nasri matter either. The midfielder, against all common sense, has been allowed to enter the final season of his contract when the great majority of clubs would have made it a priority to try to force matters to a conclusion. A stoical manager is prepared to let him leave for nothing next summer, but the kind of bid that Manchester City can make is hard to reject, especially if the player himself wants to go immediately.
The very recent past had better not be a guide to the immediate future if Arsenal want to fend off anger in the stands. It is just as well that Udinese, with the Serie A programme yet to begin, may not be at their sharpest for the first leg of the Champions League play-off at the Emirates on Tuesday. Even if all goes smoothly in the tie, the disquiet will continue. Arsenal fans do not really conform to the stereotype of the aesthete who is honoured just to be in the presence of Wenger's team.
Anyone who lives in that part of London will often hear the frustration and rancour of supporters. This club needs their loyalty more than most. While the property development around the Emirates fundamentally makes sense, the state of the economy at large is a hindrance. The main grievance among fans does not lie in any resentment of the fact that the most glamorous footballers are at other clubs. Arsenal, after all, still have plenty of style and only the champions Manchester United outscored them in the Premier League last season, despite the fact that there were few goals from Fábregas.
The flourishes to their style have been a consolation and optimists could persuade themselves that everything would eventually fall into place. It was particularly disturbing, though, to see Arsenal doggedly work their way out of contention for the title in the closing phase of last season. No doubt it would have been better if Thomas Vermaelen had been present throughout the campaign, but the side had been coping without him until the critical stretch of the programme.
Arsenal continue to be a most unusual club. The rightful appreciation of Wenger's style and philosophy has not vanished entirely, but the perception of the side's prospects can only have been damaged in the goalless draw at St James' Park on Saturday. The manager might almost have been grateful for the red card shown to the £10.5m debutant Gervinho since it diverted attention from the poverty of the match itself. When Arsenal were held there last season, the verve of the display was at least indisputable in the creation of a 4-0 lead.
This could well turn into the most gruelling period of Wenger's tenure in London. Circumstances were already challenging enough, but the rise of Manchester City and Liverpool's determination to revitalise themselves could well mean that taking the anticipated place in the top four will be harder to accomplish, since the presence of United and Chelsea there is virtually certain.
In all of the talk about Wenger, his continued employment at the club is never in doubt. That is only right, considering the transformation apparent at Arsenal despite the lack of silverware, and the manager's standing has been so elevated that he could speak about leaving at a time of his choosing. He suggested this year that he would step down in 2014, with Dragan Stojkovic, who played for him at Nagoya Grampus and now manages the Japanese club, taking over at the Emirates.
That sort of cosiness is gone. For the time being, Wenger's sophistication cannot put him above the fray. Arsenal will need to scramble and struggle in the effort to retain their status.
Source; Kevin McCarra, The Guardian on 15 Aug 11
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