Arsenal’s season in the Premier League is over and it has been a very tumultuous season of Football for The Gunners. Once again, the club failed to mount a consistent and meaningful challenge for the Premier League and they also had an extremely underwhelming Champions League campaign. Moreover, they failed to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Despite having the chance to win the FA Cup, there is an overwhelming train of thought amongst Arsenal fans that significant change must occur at this historic club. While it is easy to say that Arsene Wenger must leave, there are deeper issues at Arsenal which must change if they want to win the Premier League and Champions League.
These issues include ownership, wage structure, and staff.
Ownership of Arsenal
This has been a serious issue at Arsenal for a long time. Stan Kroenke is the majority shareholder of Arsenal on a board that has, from a football perspective, failed to continue the brilliant work that David Dean accomplished during his time at Arsenal. Kroenke and other figures within the ownership structure of Arsenal such as Ivan Gazidas have been accused of having a lack of ambition and settling for a Top 4 place in the Premier League.
Either the ownership of Arsenal must change or the current board must make a huge statement of intent during the summer. We recently learnt that minority shareholder Alisher Usmanov made a £1bn bid to but the majority stake from Kroenke.
However, this is set to be rejected and this decision could worsen Arsenal’s ability to challenge for the major titles in the future.
Wage Structure at Arsenal
The wage structure at Arsenal is also in need of modification. While Arsenal have managed to acquire marquee players such as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez in recent years, their wage structure has held them back.
Indeed, Arsenal are in danger of losing Ozil and Sanchez. While their inconsistent form is a huge factor in this, money will also be a factor.
Arsenal are unable to compete with the top clubs in Europe when it comes to player wages. The club must find a way to invest more of their revenue into funding higher wages so they can attract the best players.
If they do this, it could propel them to consistently challenge for the Premier League and Champions League.
The Staff at Arsenal
Still, you can buy the best players in the world and still come up short if you do not have the right staff to get the best out of those players. Obviously, Arsene Wenger has come under examination for Arsenal’s failings. However, he may not be the problem. Certainly, a shake-up of the coaching staff underneath Wenger could be the change that Arsenal requires.
This could bring fresh ideas and perspectives which, in turn, could enhance Wenger’s ability to get the best out of his talented squad. Additionally, while unlikely to happen, bringing a Director of Football into Arsenal could take a lot of pressure off Arsene Wenger.
It would allow him to focus on coaching rather than running the entire club on a day-to-day basis.
If this bid from Usminov is true or not,it's up to every single Arsenal fan who loves this great club to let people know,we demand change.
— Ian Wright (@IanWright0) May 19, 2017